


Confusions of Choice

by farad



Category: Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Family Matters AU, M/M, Stargate: Atlantis crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-07
Updated: 2010-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-10 23:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 52,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/105780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farad/pseuds/farad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This time, it's not just the Wraith who cause problems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confusions of Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Crossover with Stargate: Atlantis, with characters this time, as well as the Wraith, and also another in the AU of the Family Matters AU (because you can't have enough complexity!)
> 
> Special thanks to my awesome betas without whom I would be a much worse writer!

Five to four, Chris thought passingly, his attention focused through the sight on his rifle. Good odds, except he didn't know their four opponents.

Through his headset, Ezra said quietly, "Position three, the taller male – not military, he's not even holding the rifle up. Weakest link."

Chris didn't answer, didn't need to.

"We didn't come here for a fight," the shorter, dark-haired man called. He was obviously their team leader, even though he wasn't the one who was the biggest threat. He and the woman flanked the other two men of the team, their weapons up and flicking from side to side, as aware of Chris' team as Chris' team was of them. He wore dark glasses over his face, shielding his eyes from the bright suns and his enemies.

"Then tell your man to put down his gun!" Chris called back, keeping his voice flat, holding back the anger. It wouldn't serve now.

The taller man, the one with the long ropes of hair, he was the immediate threat. Satedan, Chris thought, which meant that, like them, he had nothing to lose, and all kinds of hate.

The same kind of hate Chris had – except that Chris knew better, at least about the boys.

"He's Wraith!" the Satedan called back, his voice a low, loud rumble that seemed to vibrate through the clearing. But his hand was completely steady, unwavering as he jammed the long-barreled revolver against Vin's temple.

"He's a kid!" Buck called from Chris' right, his tone holding all the anger – all the fear that Chris hadn't allowed himself.

"Ronon." This was from the woman, her voice calm even though her eyes kept tracking, her hold on her weapon not wavering.

"Stand down, Ronon," the team leader said, quietly – and again; he had said it once already, just after the big man had caught up to Vin, his long legs eating up the space between them as if Vin, the fastest of all of them, was walking instead of running for his life.

Chris had no illusions, now; the Satedan was with these people, but he wasn't under their control. He didn't wear their uniform, didn't carry their weapons, and didn't appear to be following their orders.

" 'Siah?" he breathed into his mic, the question in the word.

"I gotta shot, but it's not a good one," the big man answered. "Could take a loose one at the weak link, scare them, maybe."

It was a risk though; they could startle the Satedan into firing reflexively.

He hated stand-offs, always had. No one ever walked away happy.

Sweat tickled as it trailed down his spine, from the heat and the tension.

"He's only a little Wraith," the weak link spoke up suddenly, his voice stuttering with nerves, even as he stared at whatever instrument panel he held before him. "A quarter – Ronon, he may not be dangerous – "

"They are all dangerous," the Satedan rumbled, his head not moving, his eyes hidden behind his own visor.

Chris didn't allow himself to look at the boy, knew he'd react without thinking. He knew Vin was scared – knew he'd be trembling under the weight of the threat, the sheer size of the man lurking over him, the large hand gripping the back of his slender neck, hurting him as so many had before. Vin wasn't afraid of dying – they had learned that already. But he pain was another matter entirely.

"Ronon." The woman again, this time her voice sharper.

"Chris?" Josiah whispered, waiting.

The odds were against them, but then standing here, letting this continue, didn't help the odds any either. He hoped JD wasn't watching, but knew that he probably was – he'd been the first to realize that something was wrong, the first one to realize that the new ship visiting their little desert planet was not landing near them but close to where Vin was watching over the goat-things.

Then the Satedan snarled, and Chris took a deep breath, all thought receding as he sighted, his finger tightening on the trigger –

And the big man jerked his revolver away, its barrel now pointing toward the sky. He reached out at the same instant, his other hand catching in Vin's long, pale hair and yanking him brutally to his feet. "You would protect one of them?" he demanded, his eyes coming to Chris without hesitation. "After what they have done to you?"

Chris took a deep breath, not relaxing his guard, even though the tension level in the clearing lessened. "It's not as simple as that," he answered, still keeping his voice flat. "Let him go."

He couldn't not see Vin now, the terror on the young face, the shallow breathing and moving hands. But Vin didn't fight, didn't beg. Those instincts had been beaten out of him long ago.

With a snort of contempt, the Satedan pushed Vin down and turned away, walking back to the weak link as if the guns aimed at their group were no threat.

Chris refused to rise to the insult, even though he saw the flash of concern on the faces of the Satedan's team-mates.

"We didn't come here to fight," the team leader said. "We'd like to talk to you."

"Interesting way to introduce yourselves," Buck snarled, taking lead.

"We thought you were under attack," the woman spoke up, and she was the first to drop her gun. "Our instruments are set to register the slightest sign of the Wraith. We saw the dart ship close to your base. When we realized that this one was alone, yet moving toward you, we thought to intercept him before he did you harm."

Her speech pattern was familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"And when you saw he was a boy, you thought – what? That he was in disguise?" The anger in Buck's voice was getting more clear and more loud. He had lowered his weapon as well – damned fool, but it was still pointed toward the intruders, because the idiot was stepping forward, moving toward Vin. "Did you even look at him? Does he look Wraith to you?"

"We didn't have time to think," their team leader answered. "My friend here," he made a faint gesture toward the Satedan, "reacted, and, well, here we are. It was a mistake, and we're sorry. Now, can we put down the guns and be friends?"

There was something cocky in his attitude, and for an instant, Chris thought about shooting him out of sheer annoyance.

But his attention was drawn by sudden movement, Vin pushing to a crouch and bolting toward Buck. The big man caught him easily, the arm not holding his rifle reaching out and pulling the boy in close, shielding him. Holding him.

Something in Chris relaxed a little, even as something else tightened up. "Buck, get back," he growled into his headset.

"Look," the cocky team leader said, straightening up and letting his own gun drop down to rest at his waist. It was still pointed out, toward them, but he wasn't aiming it. "Can we start over? We didn't know the kid wasn't a Wraith – Teyla was telling the truth, we were trying to help out here. Can we put the guns down?"

Chris glanced to Buck who was behind their line now, Vin still snug against his side. In his headset, Ezra murmured, "Josiah's still in range," and Chris tried not to smile. How like his gambler, to make certain the odds were in their favor.

Slowly, he relaxed his own posture, knowing that Buck and Ezra would take his cue. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, his eye on their leader.

"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of Atlantis," he said with a smile. "This is my team, Dr. Rodney McKay," he indicated the weak link, who smiled on one side of his face, the other side twitching with nervousness, "Teyla Emmagan of Athos, and Ronon Dex -"

"Of Sateda," Chris said grimly. "How'd you survive?"

Ronon had straightened from his slouch, his visor on top of his head, his weapon still in his hand. "Luck," he said shortly, his dark eyes glittering. "You?"

Chris tilted his head slightly, gauging the other man. "Same."

They stared at each other across the expanse of dirt and brush, recognizing their shared war and shared losses. After a second, Ronon nodded once, a spare gesture, then deftly holstered his gun.

Chris returned the nod, then dropped his own gun to point at the ground. "Larabee, Team Leader, Wilmington, my second," he gestured to Buck, "Standish, Comm and Intel." Josiah and Nathan he would save for later.

"Thesean," Ronon said, his voice even but not holding the tension from earlier. "Long way from home."

Chris took a breath, but it was Buck's voice that answered. "Couldn't go back to that one," he said shortly, but his tone, too, was less tense.

"You went to the Genii?" Teyla asked this time, her voice holding compassion as well as curiosity.

Chris shot a glance to Buck, willing him to keep his mouth shut even as he knew it would fail. "Had to go somewhere, they seemed the best for getting something done." He sounded cavalier, but Chris saw how his grip tightened on Vin, knowing that he was thinking about the Genii methods. Methods that included torturing children who carried Wraith genes.

"So – your planet's gone?" This was from the doctor, who seemed oddly excited. "You didn't happen to have a stargate – a circle of the Ancestors – you know, that you're not using now – "

"Rodney," Sheppard snapped, even though he smiled in Chris' direction, and finally raised his glasses from his face. "You don't happen to know Kolya, do you?"

Chris didn't, but he didn't let it show on his face. "Should I?" he countered.

Sheppard shrugged, but his face had taken on a hardness that Chris recognized for the danger it was.

Through the comm, Ezra said quietly, "Genii military leader, works mostly with covert ops, very efficient, very deadly."

"I don't remember a Kolya," Chris answered, honestly. They hadn't worked in covert ops, preferring the more direct methods for taking out the Wraith bastards. "Is that a problem?"

The hardness faded a little, his eyes taking on humor. "Not at all," he answered. "So – how'd you get here?" he gestured, a wide wave of his hand that took in everything around them. "Or is this the latest Genii-training ground?"

Peripherally, Chris noted that McKay was looking around suddenly, as if he thought there might be Genii troops hiding somewhere about.

"We didn't see eye to eye on some things," Chris answered easily. "Found ourselves stranded here a while back, you're among the first visitors we've had."

Before Sheppard could answer, McKay blurted out, "So – you want to stay here? Would you mind, then, if we took your stargate – "

"Wraith came," Ronon said succinctly, talking over McKay. "Saw the dart."

"We thought it might belong to your attacker," Teyla added, working to be diplomatic. "But as you are not currently under attack – "

"They dropped in for a visit several months ago," Chris smiled. "Climate didn't agree with them too much, though."

For the first time, Ronon smiled. It wasn't a pretty expression, almost feral.

Chris returned it, knowing his own was much the same.

"That how you got him?" Sheppard asked, using his chin to indicate Vin. "They bring him with them?"

Chris tensed again, not ready to give out details. And feeling the unease that breezed through the other members of Sheppard's team in the aftermath of the question.

"He ain't none of your concern," Buck answered grimly. "All you need to know is that he's one of us, and we'll protect him as such."

Teyla and Sheppard exchanged a glance, but it was McKay, the non-com, who spoke, and in his own way, answered the question Chris would have asked. "We've had some experience with Wraith young – and let me tell you, they're not as sweet and innocent as you might think – even if they do look more human than Wraith. When they go through the Change, they're just as vicious as the adult versions – "

"He ain't going through the Change," Buck shot back, winding up. "He ain't a full Wraith – hell, he ain't even half. You don't think we're careful about that? We test him every day – "

"Buck." Chris took a step forward, as much to draw Buck's attention and stop his tirade as to distract the others.

Buck looked at him, protective anger darkening the deep blue of his eyes. Chris let the warning show on his face, glancing quickly at Vin. The boy was tight against Buck's side, his head down. He wasn't shaking as badly now, but he was still hunched, submissive. He'd be hiding under something before the day was over, this incident returning him to the terror he'd been living when they rescued him, the memories of being helpless and hurting.

Teyla spoke then, her tone still as conciliatory as it had been moments before. "Then you know of the Change. And that there is much we do not know."

Chris looked at her, knowing that her tone hid a sort of accusation, and he felt his own anger stir again. "The Wraith treat us like animals," he said flatly. "Are we any better than them when we do the same in return?"

In his earpiece, he heard Josiah's soft chuckle, and he almost winced. He hadn't intended to sound so much like their resident philosopher.

Oddly, though, the woman quirked a sort of smile, and she glanced to Sheppard, who was shaking his head slightly, but almost smiling as well.

"You got somewhere a little less hot that we could talk about things?" Sheppard asked.

Chris hesitated, but only for a few seconds. "Come on."

He led, the newcomers behind him, Ezra and then Buck and Vin bringing up the rear. He had no doubt but that Josiah would pace them, and he knew his men would have sense enough to have Nathan and JD also stay out of sight.

There was no point in not heading back to their actual camp; the newcomers had already done a fly-over so they knew where it was, and truthfully, Chris was hoping they would prove to be friends – at least friendly enough to help them get their own ship fixed.

It wasn't a long walk, but long enough for them to fall into an easy stride. He fell back beside Sheppard and the woman, trying to be friendly, even though his tone wasn't as friendly as he tried for. "Mind if I ask what brings you here? The Atlanteans looking for a training ground of their own?"

To his credit, Sheppard gave him a flash of a grin.

But again, it was McKay, who Chris was already certain he would have shot, who stepped up to answer. "We're looking for unused stargates – and this one is perfect. We've built an intergalactic gate-bridge, Sam Carter and I came up with the idea and the way to do it, because we're absolutely brilliant – "

"What Rodney is trying to say," Sheppard interrupted smoothly, "is that we need the stargates – Circles of the – "

"I got it," Chris snapped, tired of being talked down to. "So you came to take this one – "

"We came to find out if this one was being used," Teyla interrupted this time. "Our preliminary investigations of this planet suggested that it was uninhabited. We were quite surprised to discover that you were here."

Us and a Wraith, he thought, but didn't say; no use to play with that provocation right now. Instead, he answered, "Wasn't our plan. We ain't the first though; we found the ruins of a settlement, seems that others have used this place as a hide out as well. Unfortunately, the Wraith check it every now and then."

"Or have an alarm," Sheppard said, looking around. "We've encountered a few other places where that was the case. None of you have picked up any jewelry or trinkets from here, have you? Little things to commemorate your stay?"

Chris frowned, not liking the suggestion. "My people don't steal," he stated, even though he knew Ezra might. "We found this planet when our ship took damage – "

"We are not suggesting that," Teyla raised a hand, even though she did not stop walking. "From personal experience, we have learned that the Wraith like to leave tracking devices within jewelry and other items that they think humans might take with them. It is one way that they know where human groups are located."

Something flitted across her face, almost a shadow, but he saw it. "You people seem to have quite a few experiences with the Wraith," he said conversationally.

This time, the look Sheppard and Teyla exchanged was darker, before Sheppard answered, "We may be new to the galaxy, but we get around fast."

Through his headset, Chris heard both Josiah and Ezra inhale sharply. For himself, he nodded; the rumors were true, then, the people who had taken the City of the Ancients were from very far away.

Which explained this bridge-thing McKay had been talking about.

Sheppard continued, his next words bringing Chris back to the moment. "So – when do we get to meet the other members of your team? We don't have anyone covering us, just us four."

Chris canted his head to one side, acknowledging the other man's powers of deduction. "Soon enough."

They were within yards of the campsite when Chris saw Teyla slow, her head cocked to one side as though she were listening to a faint noise. After a few seconds, she looked about, turned almost completely around, her eyes searching until they came to rest on – Vin.

Chris followed the look, annoyed and concerned; Vin was bringing up the rear, close to Buck but not quite touching now.

He looked back at Teyla, not surprised to find her eyes on him. "There is another one here, is there not?"

He kept her gaze, even held his poker face. "Another one – what? Member of my team? Yes, there is – "

"Another child – with Wraith genes."

They had all stopped now, forming a sort of half-circle around Chris, Sheppard, and Teyla. Ronan and Buck were close together – too close, Chris knew, to each other and to their respective fears.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, trying to let his curiosity at her knowledge be the thing to show on his face.

She studied him for a few seconds, then, instead of answering, she turned and looked at Vin, who was standing more behind Buck than beside him, his eyes now peeking up, wide and open and so vulnerably human that Chris wanted to shoot her.

Then Vin's eyes widened even more, and he stepped back, raising his hands to shield his head.

"What the – " Buck started, whirling to look at Vin, then back to glare at her, his weapon slipping from the cradle of his arm into the comfort of his hands. "What are you – "

Ronon had moved as well, turning to step back toward Buck and Vin, his hand on the butt of his handgun –

"I can hear them," she said. Her voice hadn't changed in volume, but the tone was sharper. "In my head."

Vin's hands slowly dropped, and he took a shaky breath as Buck reached out to him.

Before Chris – or any of them, could speak, Teyla continued evenly, "I have a few Wraith genes of my own – not enough to show up on a scanner, but enough to let me know when there are other Wraith around. This one – and the other one, who is hiding in a cave with your medical officer, are strong enough in their heritage to have the Wraith telepathy."

Chris blinked, glanced to Buck who shared the look, then to Ezra. The other man's face was as expressionless as ever, but Chris had known him long enough to know the signs of his surprise, the blink, the tightening of his lips.

"You did not know?" Teyla asked. There was no snideness in her tone, no censure, but Chris hated to be blindsided, hated to be caught in a lack of intelligence.

Not that it was Ezra's fault this time.

"Still don't know," he said shortly. "Seems mighty convenient that you got some Wraith in you – enough to know their tricks, but not enough to be shot?"

"It's a long story," Sheppard said smoothly, stepping between Chris and his team mate. "How about we sit down and tell it?"

Chris glared at him, glared past him at her, then turned on his heel and continued on. When he got clearly in the lead, he murmured into his headset, "Somebody say something, now."

The immediate silence fed his anger, which calmed only when Josiah said hesitantly, "Nothing to tell. We knew the boys were close, but – telepathy? I mean . . ." He paused, and after a few seconds, Nathan finally sounded on the line.

"JD says that sometimes he knows what Vin's thinking – and sometimes, like today, when he's upset, he thinks Vin senses it, but he's never had any awareness of being in Vin's head or Vin being in his." The medic paused, then added, "She could be shitting us about it, but I've read some medical papers that support her idea that the Wraith communicate with each other by some form of telepathy. It wouldn't be too far fetched for the boys to have that ability. They just might not understand it."

"Dammit," Chris swore, more a mutter than a comment, but he heard Buck growl.

He turned, still walking but walking backwards, to check the status of his people and the newcomers. Sheppard smiled at him, Teyla as well – McKay was talking, something about desert heat and sinuses and allergies, but he was more concerned with Ronon. The Satedan smiled at him as well, a grimace actually, then looked over his shoulder to Buck. The two men were challenging each other with their eyes, no words, yet, but their weapons were still accessible and under hands.

Buck had Vin directly behind him, the boy's hand latched firmly into the back of Buck's shirt. Protecting Vin.

For the first time since the Wraith had come to the planet, he felt a stirring of anger at the boy. At the things they didn't know about him. About them.

Fortunately, the rest of the way to the camp was easy and fast, and when they entered the area Chris had designated as the compound, Josiah was waiting. Like Chris and Ezra, he was holding his weapon but aiming it down.

He nodded to the newcomers, then, as Chris passed him, he stepped forward, between Teyla and Sheppard. McKay, behind them, stepped around him, but Ronon stopped, canting his head to one side and smiling as he had before.

Buck stopped behind him, then, like McKay, he stepped around the two of them, but he kept Vin behind him, out of the line of fire, the entire time.

Chris smiled despite himself; as ever, Josiah was using his own version of passive aggression. For the moment, anyway. Josiah could make the transition to full-on aggression whenever he wanted – or whenever Chris wanted.

"One of your other men?" Sheppard asked with a smile, even though it wasn't a smile nor was he especially happy.

"Josiah Sanchez," Josiah said, still staring evenly at Ronon. "Pleased to meet you."

Ronon arched on eyebrow – little pleasure in it, and his fingers tightened around the grip on his gun.

"Ronon," Sheppard called, an edge in his voice.

"Let's talk," Chris said, gesturing expansively toward the few comforts of their living quarters.

Several hours later, Chris wasn't sure whether their visitors were a blessing or a curse. Replicators – he knew little of. Wraith, he knew a lot of. Hive ships in factions, the Wraith having their own internal problems, had seemed good until Sheppard had explained the vagaries of Replicators and their destruction of whole human-inhabited worlds to terminate the Wraith food chains.

Somewhere in the middle of the telling, McKay had grown bored and started wandering. Sheppard, with permission, had directed him toward the downed shuttle, where he and Josiah had discovered an odd intersection of interests and were now trying to figure out the various things they needed to get the ship operational.

Buck sat to Chris' right at the table they had cobbled together to one side of the downed shuttle, his glower smoothing into concern as the conversation had worn on. Ezra sat at one end, listening expressionlessly and asking more questions than Chris, helping to flesh out the details of the galaxy they had been cast from.

Vin had slipped away, probably off to join JD, out of sight and hopefully out of mind, at least for the Satedan who sat stoically to the left of Sheppard, looking bored but still quite dangerous.

"So – you wanna tell us how you ended up here, with two boys of mixed genes?" Sheppard asked, after he had finished telling of the last planet the Replicators had destroyed and the number of lives lost.

Chris glanced to Ezra, who was looking at him. The expression that flashed over his intel officer's face confirmed his own instincts: as far as they knew, these people were telling the truth. Chris knew that, like himself, Ezra had spent some of the past several hours trying to figure out why the Atlanteans would bother to lie to them – they had nothing that the newcomers could want, other than the boys, perhaps.

It wasn't a long story really, especially as he told it. "We were stationed at a Genii facility with an adjacent research facility. Nathan, our team medic, was filling in when they needed help. He spent a week – about 4 days, really, working on the floor where they did research on the Wraith, and found out how they were doing it. The third day, he had to clean up Vin after the 'doctors'," he used the word disdainfully, "had done some 'research'," more disdain, "on how quickly he could regenerate skin." He paused, feeling Buck shift beside him, knowing his partner was uneasy with the memory. "Seems that without having more Wraith genes, there are things he can't recover from. Burning's one of them."

He felt his own blood drain away, worked at keeping a hold on his own memories. He was proud that his voice was still level and snotty as he continued, "He's got scars on his back – permanent ones, the same size and depth that they were when they finally healed."

Sheppard's gaze didn't waver, but he saw the sympathy in the curious eyes. Teyla did look away, shaking her head once.

Ronon was as unyielding as ever.

"You rescued them," Sheppard said, his voice low.

Chris grinned slightly. "Depends on how you define it, I guess. We'd all about had enough of the Genii and their game-playing, even before we got posted to that position. Nathan finding the boys was just the final straw, I guess. Getting them out took a bit of work," it had been a high-security facility, but Nathan had access, at least to the building itself, "but we managed. Unfortunately, our ship took some damage, and we made it to the ring – gate, as you call it, but our ship was hit again; Ezra got us here, but once we hit the ground, we couldn't get her back up. Josiah thinks one of the thrusters is too damaged to give lift, so here we are."

"Did you plan on keeping the boys?" Sheppard asked, and Chris noted that Sheppard had picked up on the plural gender.

"Not hardly," he answered. Not then. Now, eight months later, they'd grown attached to them. Beside him, Buck tensed again, and he felt his partner's anger. He didn't have to ask Buck to know what his thoughts were on the issue, hadn't had to ask in a long time.

Sheppard looked away, past the compound and over the horizon. "You might have a hard time finding somewhere for them," he said.

Chris snorted. "So I gather."

Not surprisingly, Buck chose that moment to step in. "Those boys got a home with us as long as they need it. I won't see them getting hurt anymore."

Ronon shifted, Buck straightened, and Sheppard held up a hand and said, "If we get your ship up and running, where are you going to go?"

It wasn't as if they hadn't discussed it, every night since they had found themselves stranded. Their own world was gone – planet still there, but no one alive on it, just the ruins of the Wraith had left. There were other peoples fighting, even some with the kind of technology that could do real damage, their planets as protected from discovery as their tech knew how to make them, and Chris knew they could get places in almost any fighting unit – they all did.

But there had been no particular direction that any of them had wanted to go – none of them. Odd, that. The time here, stranded, had been almost a relief, the struggle to survive helping them put everything else in perspective.

He shrugged. "Somewhere," he answered. "Maybe nowhere. Be nice to have the option though."

"Somewhere less hot," Ezra said casually, but there was enough whine in it that they all grinned.

Except Ronon.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

For the hour that Nathan sat at the cave's entrance, stroking Vin's head as the boy lay with his head in his lap, he watched the bruise grow. It started as a red welt with crisp edges – the barrel of the gun had been hot, the bastard having shot at Vin. Over the time that he watched, the red gave way to purple, then black. It would heal, Nathan knew, be gone by morning.

But the trembling of the thin body, the nightmares that would wake the boy and have him once more pacing restlessly in the middle of the night, through the night, those would last far longer.

It had only been a matter of weeks since he had slept through the night, finally feeling secure enough here, with them, to let himself relax.

Nathan cursed these newcomers, even as he listened through his headset, fascinated, to what they had to say about what was going on out there.

"I need to be down there," JD muttered for the tenth time, his long arms wrapped around his knees. He was wearing his own earpiece, as fascinated by what was being said as Nathan was. "Why do we always have to hide out – Vin got to see them, why can't I?"

Nathan sighed, willing himself to be patient. "Vin almost got killed because of it, too," he repeated. "These people sound like they're as dangerous as the Wraith, at least for you two."

JD sighed again, big and dramatic, and Nathan knew that everything he'd ever read about the hormonal effects on post-pubescent behavior was correct. JD was more flamboyant than Ezra – which was saying quite a lot.

Probably making up for Vin's silence and stillness.

JD hadn't suffered the same way at the hands of the Genii. The Ancestor genes in the boy had take dominance over almost everything else – that's what the Genii had believed, anyway. Unlike Vin, who had the slim build and angular lines of the Wraith, coupled with hair that wasn't Wraith-white but more white than blond, JD was stockier and darker, his hair dark brown, his eyes hazel, and his skin freckled just enough to be cute.

More than the physical though, was the mental. JD was, literally, a genius. Nathan had seen the results of the Genii testing and confirmed it with his own – the boy's ability to comprehend ideas and details and blend the lines of concept was extraordinary. That, coupled with some innate understanding of the sparse Ancient technologies the Genii had discovered, had made him a prize in the militaristic society. Where the Genii had considered Vin little more than an animal, and treated him as such, JD had been treated with respect and even, Nathan thought, a certain affection. He'd been housed in a room with a door that opened from inside and well as out, and from what little Nathan had seen prior to the night he and Josiah had pulled the boys from Vin's cell, JD had been treated with patience and forgiveness. The fact that he had been in Vin's cell that night was a sign in itself; he'd had the freedom to move around without too much concern. And he was ingenious enough to get into Vin's cell without alerting the guards who would never have let him near the 'savage Wraith'.

Nathan knew that JD had come with them because of Vin, because of what he had seen done to the other boy. On his own, JD had little to fear from the Genii, at least in the concrete. He thought now that the boy might be beginning to understand what the Genii could have, would have done to him given more time. Not the torture they had put Vin through, but for JD, something almost as bad: the restriction of his mind.

In his ears, the one he knew as Sheppard was telling of the current war between the Wraith and these Replicators.

"So – why did they come after Vin and not me?" JD asked suddenly. "I'm as much Wraith as he is. But I didn't show up on their sensors, did I. They said they only registered one Wraith – Vin."

He was watching Nathan now, his hazel eyes bright in the dimness of the cave.

"I can only guess, JD, but I suspect that your other genes – the Ancestor genes – mask your Wraith genes. That's what the Genii thought, anyway."

JD looked away, out the opening and into the fading light of the day. "Doesn't seem right, you know? Vin's the one everyone hurts, but it wasn't his fault. He didn't ask to be Wraith – hell, I didn't ask to be either. Or to have Ancestor genes."

Vin stirred, and Nathan looked down, not surprised to find those clear blue eyes open and staring at JD. He let his hand fall to rest on Vin's shoulder, holding him still, even as the boy tried to rise. He knew Vin, knew the boy would go to JD and try to make JD feel better. It annoyed Nathan that Vin supplicated himself to the other boy, even though they were all beginning to understand why. Vin had been in the hands of the Genii for almost a decade; from what Nathan had been able to extract from the records they'd managed to steal and from what JD told them of what he knew, Vin's mother had been inseminated with a combination of Wraith and human genes, giving him the quarter Wraith genes that seemed to be the cause of his popularity problems.

At some point after he was born, when he was about four months old and lasting until he was about six years old, the records were blank. For a while, they assumed that it was because Nathan hadn't managed to get those. But one day, while they were watching some of the old videos that had been stored on the computer, JD had made a comment about hiding out and being on the run from 'the 'thorities' – moving from one place to another and never getting to know anybody. When Josiah had asked him what he meant, he'd looked at Vin, who had looked away. The conversation had ended then, but several days later, Buck had managed to get JD talking, and it had come out that both of the boys had spent time with their mothers pretty much 'on the run'. Buck, canny in his own way, had figured out that the boys' mothers had not been terribly pleased with giving up their children when the time had come and fled to anywhere they could.

Vin was the one who had whispered to Chris that his mother had died when he was a 'lil kid'. He'd managed to make it on his own for a while, 'hidin' out 'n runnin', but the 'thorties' had 'got him', and put him in 'the loud place'. The place where they had locked him up, and then, when he'd managed to get out, chained him to the walls of windowless cells. The place where they had hurt him.

JD's history seemed similar, except that his mother had known she was dying and returned him before he had to try to survive. His Ancestor genes had made him special, and while he had been a prisoner, his cage had been gilded. He'd never been chained up. Or burned.

"You're right," Nathan agreed, catching JD's eyes. "It ain't right. So we have to do what we can to make sure that Vin isn't hurt. And if that means hanging out in here, that's what we do."

Another melodramatic sigh, but JD didn't argue. Instead, after a minute or so, the boy asked, "Do you think the Wraith want to hurt us? When they came, they said they wanted us – me, anyway. The Commander told me that he wouldn't hurt me – or Vin. He said that we are their children and they would take care of us."

Nathan looked over at him, still stroking Vin's arm. "When did he tell you that?" he asked, remembering that visit a little too vividly right now, in the heat of this new visitation.

JD shook his head and said with obvious patience, "When we were in front of the cave. You heard him, Nathan, you were there."

Nathan nodded. "Yes, I was – and I don't remember him saying anything like that. Are you certain he wasn't saying it to just you and Vin, telepathically?"

JD's eyes widened. "I – I don't know. I hadn't thought about it – you think that was it? I mean, I know he told us a lot of things – that he wouldn't let you hurt us anymore. I had to explain that you weren't, I had to show him – "

"Show him?" Nathan held himself still, not wanting to disturb Vin. "How did you show him?"

JD shrugged. "I didn't really – I was remembering how you and the others got us out of the institution, how you took care of Vin, how you take care of us. Then he started to tell me – us, I guess, 'cause Vin was there, too, that they would teach us how to fly ships and shoot the beams and how I can go anywhere I want and do anything I want – and take Vin with me and they would teach him how to protect me and everything. They want us, Nathan, they want to take care of us and teach us. And it wasn't just words – it was like . . . I could feel it. I could see it, too, it was so real." He frowned. "Is that – is that what the telepathy is?"

Nathan frowned now. "I don't know. I've never had it. But I do know that I never heard them say that to you, and I know I didn't hear you talk about us saving you or taking care of you and Vin. So it must have been in your head, JD." He glanced down at Vin, shifting his hand to rub along the boy's back. Without giving it thought, he was careful not to touch the places where the scars were. "You and Vin do that, too? Do you . . . know things about Vin that seem more real, I guess? More like feelings?"

JD leaned back against the wall, thinking. After a while, he said, "Yeah, I guess . . . we do. I never thought about it as – well, thinking, I guess. We just . . . when we were there, in the Genii place, we just always seemed to know we were there together. I . . . sometimes I could feel what they were doing to him, when he was hurting. Especially at night, when I was trying to sleep. They never gave him stuff like you did, stuff to make the pain go away or hurt less. When he was like that, I'd think about my mom holding me and the way it was before she got sick, and after a while, he didn't hurt so bad. Is that – were we sharing thoughts then?"

Nathan studied him for a moment, then looked down at Vin, who was twitching a little in his sleep. Anxious. He looked back at JD and saw the same sort of movement – twitching, one hand rubbing at his leg, the other picking at the dirt on the ground.

"I suspect that you do it all the time," he said quietly, "but maybe not consciously. You knew it today, when Vin was scared, didn't you?"

JD nodded slowly. "I knew . . . he was thinking of when he was little, before, when the 'thorities were chasing him. He didn't want to go back, Nathan. He – he was thinking of the room where they took him, where they hurt him. He didn't want to go back there."

"No," Nathan agreed, "I don't either." He knew the room Vin had nightmares about. Even without telepathy, he shared those horrors – and he'd only been there for four days. The thought of what they had done to Vin for years . . .

They sat for a while, both listening to Sheppard's tale, Vin seeming to sleep. But as the shadows of the cave mouth stretched over them and the sky turned orange and red with the twin suns setting, JD looked at Nathan once more and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Nathan looked at him, confused. On his lap, Vin's head rolled slightly as he started to wake.

JD shook his head with a little frustration, but he said, "After the shuttle is fixed and we can leave – what do you want to do?"

Well now, wasn't that the question? He swallowed, looking out into the desert. "Can't rightly say, JD. I guess in a lot of ways, we're like you and Vin – we got nowhere to go, not a lot of places that want us. We're soldiers – damned good ones. But . . . there's a lot of trouble that comes with that, and even though this entire damned galaxy is at war, there aren't a lot of places willing to take displaced warriors, no matter how good they are."

JD was silent for a few seconds, analyzing what Nathan had said. When he spoke, his words were far beyond his years, intellectually, but not anywhere close to his emotional comprehension. "If you split into smaller groups, you and Josiah, Chris and Buck, Ezra with – "

"We're all we've got," Nathan said quietly. "We're the last of our kind, that we know of." The words were slow and he had to drag each one from some inner part of himself that he didn't like to visit. "You're right, we could." And he knew that each of them had thought it at one time or another, especially in the middle of the day when the heat was at its highest and Chris was in one of his black moods and they were all grating on each other. But no one had dared to voice the idea out loud, and he doubted any of them ever would.

Well, maybe Ezra, but so far, not. And if he did, it would be more in temper than sincerity.

Then came the question he'd been dreading.

"What about us?"

He sighed, letting his fingers drift through Vin's wiry curls. He knew the eyes were on him now, and he knew they were wide and worried, but he didn't have the heart to meet them. "I don't know, JD. I know you've come to trust us – and we've come to trust you two. But you're still kids, and you need a better environment than living with a bunch of soldiers – "

"Like the place you saved us from?" JD countered, his voice harder than it should've been. "Do you think you can find somewhere that'll take us and that'll treat us better? The Genii didn't hurt me like they did Vin, but that doesn't mean that they won't."

Nathan had thought it, honestly believed that there was somewhere that the two boys could be placed where they wouldn't be threatened. He'd believed it right up until he'd heard the sounds of that gun firing and Chris' voice screaming for the newcomers to stop firing at Vin.

Until the noises he'd heard on his headset had drawn the picture for him, Vin running for his life from people who he would have assumed to be rational, reasonable, and perhaps given to thinking before reacting.

Atlanteans. They were the up-and-coming combatants in this war with the Wraith, people who had moved into the home of the Ancestors and figured out how to make things work. If their reaction to Vin was to shoot first, then there probably was nowhere safe to place the boys.

"Maybe you should just leave us here," JD said casually – too casually, trying to be mature. "Or give us to the Wraith – they say they don't want to kill us. Or even hurt us, not the way the Genii would."

It was too much for Vin who pushed his way up, and out of Nathan's reach. He looked at JD, and Nathan saw the bleakness in the boy's eyes, knew what he was thinking.

JD sighed and leaned back against the cave wall. "I don't want to stay here, either," he said, and Nathan knew they were sharing a thought. "But I don't want to spend my life hiding from people or being studied – and you don't either."

Vin shivered at that, his body pulling in tighter against itself.

"We ain't gonna do that, you boys know better. We're not going to let you two stay behind alone – "

"But it might be better," JD interrupted, his tone quiet. "Might safer in the long run, for Vin, maybe even for me."

Nathan sighed, scratching at his head. "We have no idea what's going on yet – this whole line of thought is premature – "

"No, it's not. You guys are going to get off of this planet, maybe real soon. You talk about leaving almost every night – but you never talk about us." He glanced to Vin, smiled a little, and Vin's lips curled just a little, his eyes softening with trust.

Nathan blinked, worried. "We ain't leaving you two behind. We care about you."

"Thanks, Nathan," JD smiled, reaching out one hand toward Vin.

Vin moved to him instantly, taking JD's hand in both of his and settling in close. He was bigger than JD, taller and wider, and he was older, by at least two years. But he acquiesced, letting JD take the lead, make statements for the both of them.

The Ancestor genes were rare, from a race that appeared to be extinct. Where the Genii had gotten enough of them to blend into the mix that had created JD was a mystery to most of them, but those genes had afforded him a protection.

They also afforded him a sort of honor among the races of this galaxy, who revered the Ancestors. It afforded him a level of respect that was equaled by an intellect the others had come to appreciate.

It had kept him safe in the hands of the Genii, at least in the physical sense.

"I don't know about that," Nathan sighed. "But I do know that we care what happens to you two. We ain't gonna let you stay here on your own. And we ain't gonna let you end up – any where like you were."

JD glanced sideways to Vin, then pulled his hand free of Vin's hold on it. Slowly, he moved his arm so that he could settle it around Vin's shoulders, pulling him close. "Are you going to keep us with you, like you have here?"

"I don't know," he answered slowly. "It's not what would be best for you."

Vin leaned to one side, resting his head on JD's shoulder.

JD smiled. "Who's going to know what's best for us?" he asked, his voice and attitude far older than the twelve years he had been alive. He leaned his head on Vin's, his dark hair blending with Vin's pale strands in the shadows of the cave. "Nobody in their right mind's gonna want us, except to get something from us. I won't let Vin be hurt like that, ever again. If that means going to the Wraith, well, that's what we'll have to do."

Nathan looked away, out onto the desert. The hell of it was, he couldn't argue.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;

"I don't like it," Buck growled, standing in the doorway to the small sleeping cabin he shared with Chris.

Chris smoothed back his hair, frowning at the mirror. "They're leaving behind two of their people. It won't hurt us to meet their commander on their base, maybe see if there's anything we can do for each other. We don't have anywhere to go, Buck. I don't know about you, but the idea of returning to civilization is pretty tempting."

Buck couldn't argue that – it was tempting to him as well. But there was one problem, looming larger than the thousand other ones. "What about the boys?"

Chris did hesitate, which told Buck more than he'd expected.

He rushed on, taking advantage of Chris' unusual doubt. "They ain't gonna be safe there, Chris – hell, you saw what happened already. Odds are, those bastards will stick 'em in some kinda lab as well, probably treat 'em the same way the Genii did – "

"That's part of why I'm going, Buck," Chris finally spoke, his words sharp. "I want to see if it's Sheppard's people themselves or if it really was just the Satedan – "

"Does it matter?" Buck stepped farther into the small room, which put him right along Chris' back. His big hands fell on the other man's shoulders, the touch informal and intimate, even as he felt a touch of something dark and scary in the pit of his stomach. "I know we didn't sign on to take care of those kids, but I don't see anyone else giving 'em half a chance. You think some kind and loving family is gonna step up now, and give them a real childhood? And – hell, if by some miracle, there was one out there, you think those two would appreciate it – could appreciate it?"

Chris sighed, a soft sound that held more defeat than Buck liked to hear. "Vin maybe," he said in a whisper. "But you're right – the odds are stacked against them." He leaned back a little, and Buck took his weight, letting his arms move to slide around Chris' waist. "We can't raise those boys, Buck – do you remember how much attention Adam demanded, how much – "

"These boys ain't Adam," Buck said into Chris' ear, squeezing a little, even as the thing in his belly went cold and heavy, a weight that he felt to his toes. "They're so different from Adam that it's not even fair to compare them." He closed his eyes, letting his head rest against Chris as he continued, "They ain't got no one, Chris, no one to watch out for them. And you know I don't mean the little stuff, like food and shelter and the like – those two could stay on the planet alone and survive all right. Between Vin's instincts and JD's smarts, they'd probably be growing more food than they could eat and living in some palace, if we left them to their own devices."

He felt the flex of muscles as Chris smiled just a little.

"But I'm not talking about the normal watching-out that kids need – hell, nothing about these two is normal, including what they need – and get – from us. They need someone to watch out for their safety, for their very lives. You think there's anyone out there in this whole damned galaxy that won't see them as either Wraith or something to be put under a microscope? JD thinks the Wraith want hurt 'em – and it kinda scares me that he might be right."

He hadn't voiced that idea before, hadn't thought that he'd need to. Hadn't thought he'd have this fear that Chris wouldn't stand by the boys. Chris had come so far.....

And he wasn't surprised when Chris agreed. "Yeah, that does make you wonder, doesn't it." Chris sighed again, then straightened, enough to let Buck know the moment was past. "But I'm still going to Atlantis. No matter what else, we can stand to know a little more about these people – and it wouldn't hurt to at least be friendly with them."

It was hard to argue that.

"While I'm gone," Chris said, turning around to face his lover, "you get as much info as you can out of Teyla. She seems pretty friendly." He frowned, arching one eyebrow. "But you don't be too friendly, yourself, stud." The last word was low and deep, a reminder to Buck that even though this was the first woman they'd seen almost a year, Buck was to be on his best, monogamous behavior.

Buck grinned. "Can't help my animal magnetism," he retorted, defaulting to an old joke between them. But he leaned in and caught Chris' lips in a warm kiss before saying, "I know how friendly to be – and how friendly not to be, don't you worry none."

He was pleased when Chris nodded once, and said, "Wasn't really, but it's been a while since I've had any competition."

Buck actually laughed at that. "I ain't the one going to a whole new place – meeting whole new people! Seems like you got it backwards here, stud." He mimicked Chris' emphasis on the word, then laughed again as Chris rolled his eyes.

The others were assembled outside of the ship, and Buck noted the way Chris appraised Josiah, who was going with him. They were both wearing as close to full uniforms as either of them had left – hell, any of them; Buck would have bet that part of Josiah's gear belonged to Nathan, just as he knew that more than a few of the dress particulars Chris was sporting belonged to Ezra, who was the only one of them who seemed to have a complete uniform.

Even as rough as they were, stranded in this desert hellhole, they looked sharp. As sharp as their visitors.

Well, the two of their visitors who were present. Buck looked around immediately, aware that Ronon was absent – as was the never-silent McKay.

Before he had time to ask, Sheppard, who was sitting at their little table, stood up and said with a smile, "I sent Ronon and McKay back to the ship, to get a few things that Rodney wants while he's here – Mr. Standish went with them, to make certain that Rodney could get back all right. Ronon's going to wait there for us. You guys ready?"

Buck wasn't, but he didn't say anything as Chris and Josiah fell into step with Sheppard, leaving Teyla and Buck alone, watching them trudge off across the desert floor toward the embankment.

As they disappeared over the low hill, Josiah's head still visible, but barely, Teyla said softly, "I apologize for how badly things started between us. But truthfully, we were worried that you were being attacked."

Buck looked at her, finding that he didn't have the energy to smart back at her. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "Maybe so. I guess we're just a little more aware that things with the Wraith ain't always like they seem." He scratched at his head and moved over to the table, reaching for the pitcher. It was about half full of water, so he sat down and poured some into one of the mugs nearby. Despite Nathan's objections, most of his team had forgone concerns about sharing germs and almost everything else.

"May I?" she asked, coming to stand across from him but not taking the seat.

He frowned at himself – his mother had raised him better than this, and, really, of all of their visitors, she was the most polite and sincere.

"Sorry, darling," he answered, rising politely and nodding toward the bench across the table. "Can I get you some water?"

She smiled at him as she sat, and he noted that she looked a little tired as well. And a little drawn, like she wasn't feeling quite well.

"You all right?" he asked, taking the time to stretch toward the sideboard, where they had the clean dishware under a metal tub to protect it from the sand.

She pushed her hair from her face as she looked up at him. "It is very hot here," she said by way of an answer.

He chuckled, pouring for her and settling back down. "You got that right."

He studied her as she sipped; she was hard and tight, definitely a warrior, definitely well-trained. But she still had all her curves in the right places, and while he could feel the strength in her, he could also see the woman.

It was a surprisingly enticing combination, and despite his love for Chris, he found himself drawn to her. As Chris had known he would be, damn him.

"So tell me of Atlantis," he started, even as she said at the same time, "You have done a wonderful job of surviving here."

They smiled at each other, and he waved a hand at her. "Ladies first."

She frowned at that, then asked, with a certain worry, "Are all of your kind so deferential to women?"

At that, he laughed out loud. "Reckon I'm just old-fashioned. My momma didn't like to be ignored. I don't mean nothing by it – I never met a lady yet who wasn't worth more than most any two men."

She smiled at that, but Buck saw the confusion still shadowing her eyes. She moved through it, though, with the grace of someone accustomed to the complexities of dealing with new peoples and cultures. "So, what are you going to do once you leave this planet?" she asked, leaning forward to rest on her arms. "Have you given any thought to life after your rescue?"

He laughed again. "Honey, I don't think we've thought of much else, not since we got here."

"Have you considered what will be best for the boys?" Something in her tone caught him then, something that actually did sound – sincere. Concerned.

More than curious or patronizing.

But before he could answer, he heard the recognizable bitching of Dr. McKay, occasionally interspersed with the recognizable bitching of Ezra Standish.

As they came over the top of the small hill, taking the same path that Chris and company had used a few minutes earlier, he answered, "That would be the second most-popular topic of conversation. We thought we had an idea, until today. But I gotta tell you, no matter how many times you guys apologize or justify it, if the suspicion and fear is running that high, don't see that there's much of anywhere that we can put the boys that we won't still have to worry about them."

She met his gaze, her own serious. "I fear that I have to agree with you. These people of Earth – as they call themselves – they are very intelligent and there is little question about their connection to the Ancestors. And while they will be a great help in this war against the Wraith – indeed, they may even be the factor that decides the war – they are no more advanced in many ways than those of us already here." She looked at her mug, her slender hands resting on the table to either side of it, framing it. "I know little of these boys, but from what I have sensed, they are no threat. But they do need help, Mr. Wilmington – "

"Buck, please, call me Buck. And I know they need help, ma'am. They need a lot of help. Vin's scared of his own shadow, scared of people and daylight and anything that surprises him. JD – well, I don't know about him, other than that he's got more smarts than sense sometimes. He sure ain't been through the hell they put Vin through." He looked over, watching as McKay and Standish drew closer, their argument becoming more distinct. Something about dust and sand and expensive equipment, and why Ezra was carrying as much as McKay was.

It would have been amusing had this conversation not been in the forefront of his brain.

"I have no doubt about what the boys have suffered," she answered him. "It is clear in Vin's eyes, and in both of their minds. If they were my child – " The word caught in her throat, and he saw the flicker of pain that darkened her amber eyes.

Buck looked at her, tilting his head to one side. "If you've been in their minds, then you know more about their folks than we do. What we do know is that both of their mothers are apparently dead, and their daddies were syringes or some such. They were experiments even before they were born, so they ain't got much sense of the way family works."

She glanced to where the two other men were coming close, and coming loudly. But her words carried to him quite clearly. "They have learned quite a bit about the idea since being trapped here with the five of you. It is fortunate that they do not have the appearance of the Wraith. If Vin's hair were not so long, it would be difficult to see any sign of Wraith in him."

"That's just imbecilic!" McKay sang out, his voice drowning out all else. "Why would anyone ever want to return to this place? It's nothing but – sand! There's nothing here – "

"And perhaps," Ezra interrupted, his tone at its most peevish, "that's exactly why someone would want to return here – because there is nothing and no one!"

"Boys," Buck called when McKay opened his mouth to retort, "everything all right?"

"If you call being trapped on a desert planet – which is going to play havoc with my allergies – do you know how many ways dust can affect the sinuses? And my skin – this heat – "

"Rodney," Teyla called loudly, interrupting him, "perhaps we would be better served by taking our time to find out what else this planet might have to offer?"

McKay rolled his eyes, a gesture that reminded Buck of Ezra on a truly bad day, and he found himself smiling.

"Yeah, yeah," the other man mumbled, but he did set his carry-com down on the table beside her, popping it open and powering it up, then he started looking through the various other bags he was carrying.

Ezra, his face a mask of disdain, dropped the bags he was carrying on the ground, unmindful of the fragility of anything in them, and stalked over to the table as well. He was so annoyed that he reached down and picked up the mug in front of Buck without even registering that it was – well, Buck's.

"So where are these – these – these kids?" McKay said, his discomfort almost as clear as Ezra's disdain. He pressed several keys on the carry-com, his eyes moving from its screen to his rummaging and back, unable to do one thing at a time.

Buck straightened at that, felt Ezra tense beside him. But before either of them could answer, Teyla spoke.

"They are not here, yet, Rodney. Perhaps it would be better if you do the scans of the planet that John requested."

"Scans of the planet," McKay grumbled, clicking another key on his carry-com. "As if anything here would be of interest to anyone other than Katie or maybe Radek – I'm sure he could find something fascinating in all this – hey! Look at this!" He leaned closer to his monitor, pressing keys with a speed too fast to see.

It was a turn around so quick that Buck wondered if McKay was actually aware that he did it. His whole demeanor was animated now, excited with that look that Buck usually thought of as sexual.

"There's a zed-pm here – that way!" he gestured to his right – past their crashed ship, toward the caves.

Toward the boys.

Teyla was staring up at him, her face confused. "How can that be? And why did we not notice it earlier?"

He frowned at her, staring at the monitor of his carry-com as he tapped keys furiously, his eyes scanning over the screen almost as fast as his fingers on the keypad. "There's some sort of strange layer under the dust . . . " He was muttering, more to himself than to them, his eyes completely on the monitor as he continued to type. "It's blocking our sensors – probably blocking everything – no, it's only up there, around the zed-pm. Like a shield – I wonder if – "

"Is this thing dangerous?" Buck blurted out quickly, thinking of the boys and Nathan who were up there – thinking of all the times that he and the others had been in those caves. He couldn't stop his eyes from going toward the area, knowing he couldn't see the caves or the occupants but looking just the same.

"The layer of shield?" McKay asked, but he didn't look up. "Doubt it – well, not the layer itself. It's possible that it's putting off some sort of radiation – wait, yeah, there it is, a low-level pulsing – probably not dangerous for short periods of time, but if you stayed there too long, might cause a few long-term problems . . .what the –"

Buck was rising but Ezra was already gone, heading into the shuttle gracefully but fast. Buck followed, faintly hearing Teyla say, "I believe they have gone to recall the children and the healer."

They came into camp quickly, Nathan leading with JD beside him, babbling on in his excitement to be meeting the strangers. Buck leaned against the nose of the shuttle, waiting for them. He knew Teyla was watching as well, but she was discreet, still sitting at the table where McKay was working and Ezra was watching him.

"Are they here?" JD practically bounced up to Buck, his eyes shining with his excitement.

Such a contrast, Buck thought, even as he reached out and put his arm around the boy's shoulders, pulling him close as much to hold him still as for affection. Vin was yards behind, still, and hunched. Scared. Of course, he was the one they had been shooting at.

Buck caught his eyes, nodding, then held out his other arm. Nathan had turned as well, ready to go back to Vin. But with a look from Buck to Nathan and back, Vin moved quickly through the space to line right up against Buck's side.

"What are they like?" JD was asking, the excitement raising the pitch of his voice several degrees. "One of them's a woman, I can tell – she's been talking to us and she sounds real sweet, even though Vin doesn't want to see her again – he doesn't want to see any of them – "

"JD." He didn't speak loudly, but the unusual flatness of his tone caught the younger boy's attention more effectively than a yell.

Vin's too, the body against his tightening into a knot of muscle.

Buck pulled him closer even as he looked to JD, keeping his voice low and even. "The only reason I called you back is because there may be some radiation around those caves that our sensors didn't pick up. No use having you hide anywhere else, 'specially as the sun's going down and it's likely to get colder than is safe – and they know where you are anyway."

Vin's arms slipped around Buck's waist, a sign of his fear.

"I don't want you to be alone with them – no, JD, you listen to me. I know you saw what they did to Vin – "

"But it was only one of them," JD interrupted, "and he's gone – Nathan said so, and she says so – "

"I don't give a damn what she tells you, JD, I'm telling you to stay the hell away from them!"

He hadn't meant to raise his voice, certainly not to lose control. But he was on edge – Chris gone, strangers in their midst, and now this new radiation, which they had been subjected to for all the time they had been here – he took a deep breath, getting himself under control, turning for a second to whisper to Vin that he was sorry.

When he turned back he expected to have to say the same to JD, expected to see those familiar hazel eyes wide and hurt, if not scared.

He wasn't prepared for the anger there, or the wall of defiance. He blinked, thinking he wasn't seeing right, but JD's words banished his doubts.

"We can't hide forever," JD said hotly. "The Wraith have found us and now these people have – what do you want to do, Buck, leave us stranded here forever?"

Buck stared at him, completely unprepared for this response. Nathan stepped up, reaching out to catch JD, but the boy brushed at his hand, his eyes never leaving Buck's.

"Don't get me wrong," he went on, a little less angry, "we can't ever make it up to you, for what you've done for us – we know that. Vin especially – you saved his life. Maybe mine too. But," he stopped, looking around, "we can't stay here forever. You guys want to get on with your lives. You talk about it all the time. But you don't ever talk about wanting us. We gotta think about what we're gonna do. And these people – they might can help us."

Buck stared at him, too many questions in his head, anger competing with a strange sort of hurt. The words that finally came out of his mouth sounded far away and not like him at all. "You don't want to be with us anymore?"

Vin clutched harder at him, and he heard the little whimper the boy gave, heard the little gasp. But his attention was JD, on the one who spoke for both of them.

Who, right now, seemed to be at a loss for words.

Nathan edged up to stand closer to JD, not touching him, but looking at him, his own dark eyes full of a sadness that Buck shared. Of the five men who had rescued the boys and lived with them here, it was the two of them who had spent the most time with the boys, gotten to know them best.

Been allowed as close as they could get.

The hardness in the boy gave way, the anger melting in the face of a more serious fear. He softened, becoming more the child than the teen, his eyes going wide in the way Buck had expected earlier.

"Sure we do," he said, "of course we do. We want that more than anything. But – but it's not right. And you don't want us. We . . . we know that."

The last was a whisper, but the message clear. Vin's arms tightened more, bruising, and the soft sounds were gone now, but Buck knew the boy was crying, could feel the tremors in his body and the wetness on his shirt.

"Why would you think that?" Nathan asked softly. "I told you we didn't know what we were going to do, JD, I didn't say anything about – "

"You've all said it," JD countered, "one way or the other. You don't know what you're going to do yourselves, much less what you would do if you had us tagging along, having to protect us too."

There was a hollowness in his words.

Buck stepped closer, Vin moving with him, then held out his arm again. "I ain't never lied to you, either of you. And I don't know about the others, but I can promise you – like I did to Chris just a little while ago – I won't leave you anywhere that I don't trust them to take care of you. And if that means I stay with you from now on, then that's what I'm doing."

JD blinked, swallowed, then asked very quietly, "What if Chris doesn't want that? You're never gonna choose us over Chris, Buck – and we can't ask you."

It wasn't a question he wanted to think about, one he had been avoiding himself. But he knew his answer. For all his love for Chris, for all that Chris needed him, he knew which way he'd have to go. If Chris thought he would abandon these boys after he'd gotten so attached to them, then Chris didn't know him at all. "I won't ever have to – no, hear me out. He talks a big game, and he's got reason to worry about this, about taking on this commitment. But Chris will come with us." But that weight in the pit of his stomach, the one that had started earlier, with Chris, was there again, heavier now, and spreading. Dammit.

"But what if – "

"He'll come with us," Buck said firmly, almost angrily. "He won't have a choice, not if he's gonna be with me. But if he doesn't – which ain't gonna happen, then I'll still be with you." Chris had damned well better come, but if he didn't… Buck sighed, feeling the coldness in his gut seeping out into his limbs, into his ribs. Into his heart. Chris had better come. He didn't know if he could stand it if he didn't.

JD frowned, looking from Buck to Vin, who had turned slightly. Before he could say anything, ask anything, Buck went on, forcing the words out past the fear that was clogging his throat.

"I don't make promises I don't intend to keep. I want you boys to be safe, and I'm willing to stay with you to see that that happens."

There was a moment of silence, then Nathan met Buck's eyes as he said, "I'd like to get in on that as well, if there's a spot open."

Buck grinned at him, feeling a little of this own tension drain away. "I'd welcome the company, but from the turn this conversation as taken, I don't know that that's up to just you and me."

He looked back at JD, who was looking at Vin. Vin shifted, pulling away from Buck. The distance worried Buck, scared him; but Vin didn't go far, just far enough to look up to meet Buck's eyes.

They studied each other for a few seconds, Buck uncertain as to what was going on.

Then Vin nodded, a short movement of his head, and he looked back to JD.

Before Buck could ask, Vin pulled away completely, out of reach of them all. He wiped at his face with the back of his dirty hands, his gaze going out over the desert.

"What do you want us to do?" JD asked quietly. "If we can't hide in the caves, then – where?"

Buck shared a look of confusion with Nathan, before answering, "You may as well stay here. Just – don't be too friendly. And don't let yourselves be alone with any of them."

JD nodded, solemn. "Okay." Finally, he stepped forward, hugging Buck quickly. Very softly, so that Buck barely heard him, he said, "We want to stay with you. Thank you."

He pulled away and went to Vin, their heads together.

Nathan stepped close, his words low. "So – what happened?"

Buck grinned at him. "Think we just got ourselves two more team members, Nate. Well, you and me did anyway. Hope the rest of the guys want in on this as well. But if they don't . . . . "

Nathan smiled, his teeth bright in the growing dusk. "We'll manage," he said. "Just like always."

But the sense of fear still held him, gnawing at him. He hadn't lied at all, he would stand by the boys. Though the idea of life without Chris . . . He took a breath, catching Nathan's look of concern. "Just like always," he repeated the other man's words. "That we will."

He'd just have to make damned sure Chris Larabee understood that as well.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;

Chris wasn't the first one out of the shuttle – he'd learned long ago that no matter how friendly the 'friendlies' were, it was always best to let someone else take the lead.

He was standing, Josiah beside him, Sheppard in front of them and the Satedan behind them, keeping them from seeing the coordinates of this ring, when the shuttle doors opened. It must have taken almost a full second for the cool, moist air to hit him, envelope him, and remind him of all the pleasures his body had forgotten.

It was almost better than sex, even sex with Buck.

"Captain Larabee?"

He realized suddenly that his eyes were closed, and that he was licking his lips, tasting the faint humidity in the air. It was distracting and wonderful and completely not what he needed to be doing –

"Sir?" This time, the feminine voice cut through his preoccupation and he forced his eyes open, and nodded, stepping out of the shuttle. He took her outstretched hand, pleased to find her grip strong. She was about his height, just a little shorter, blond hair worn back and away from her strong face, her eyes as bright as Vin's, but not quite as blue. Her voice was warm and welcoming, but her words still kept the distance between them.

"I'm Colonel Samantha Carter, welcome to Atlantis."

He nodded, looking around in the space of time that she gave him.

The trip had been quick; once they were in the shuttle, Sheppard had pretty much done all the talking, a running monologue on how the little shuttle worked, how all he had to do was will it to operate and it did. The lift-off had been smooth, the rise through the atmosphere almost flawless, and then the slip through the stargate perfect – and they had arrived here, literally inside the city, mere minutes after takeoff.

Chris had hardly had time to recover from the wrenching sensations of traveling through the wormhole before he was being greeted by the leader of these new people, standing on a polished floor in the center of a humming base of operations, people moving all about them and comfortable, as if the landing of a shuttle in the center of the floor was an everyday occurrence.

But then, perhaps here, it was.

"I apologize for the secrecy – we've just relocated to this planet and we want to keep its location secret from the Wraith and the Replicators for as long as possible – I'm certain you understand." She was still smiling at him but he saw the worry in her eyes.

"You've made a lot of enemies for someone who has been here for so short a time," he agreed. "I'd be careful, too." He glanced around, letting his words speak for themselves. "I doubt I'd have invited any strangers to this place, unless I really needed something from them."

To her credit, she did blush just a little, confirming his suspicions. But her voice was even as she continued. "This is Dr. Radek Zelenka," she indicated a small man to her left, his hair looking a little untidy, his glasses smudged a bit. He nodded at Chris, who nodded back. "He's going to be helping your associate – Mr. Sanchez?"

Chris mentally slapped himself, wondering if he really had been out of civilization too long. "Lieutenant Sanchez," he gestured to Josiah, who had stepped out behind him and who now nodded and smiled his friendly smile to her, then to Zelenka.

The little scientist, for Chris had no doubt but that was what he was, backed a step away, and Chris almost smiled himself. Josiah's friendly smile was often misinterpreted.

"We appreciate the help," Josiah said, his deep voice carrying through the large room despite the crowds of people.

"Yes," Chris agreed, his social skills, such as they were, trying to re-engage. "We do appreciate the help. What do you want in return?"

She blinked, Sheppard smiled behind his hand, and Zelenka actually laughed, then covered it by pretending to cough.

"Chris doesn't waste words," Josiah said calmly.

"So I gather," Colonel Carter said, but she smiled slightly. "Well then, Captain, why don't we go talk while Radek and Lieutenant Sanchez get started on the parts they need to repair your ship?"

The place was huge. Chris couldn't keep his eyes away from the structure itself, the glass and metal that seemed almost alive. It wasn't crowded – even walking up the flight of stairs to the control center, he was passed by people wearing the casual uniform of these Atlanteans, but there was never any sense of sharing space or confinement. And the coolness – it had been so long since he hadn't been hot that his body wasn't certain how to react. He found himself shivering, even though he couldn't say that he was cold – if anything, he was almost perfect. But his body wasn't used to being comfortable, the transition on the planet from hot day to cold night occurring so quickly that they never got to appreciate it.

She led him to a well-appointed conference room, done in browns and greens and comfort. As he sat in a chair near her, he realized how soft it was – realized how much he had missed the physical comfort of civilization. It was almost bliss.

"Long time away?" Carter asked, making him realize that his eyes were closed again.

He jerked them open and turned to her, almost ready to retort. But she was looking at him with a sort of openness that reminded him of JD – true curiosity, he thought, and it stopped his immediate retort.

Instead, he took a breath and answered honestly himself, "Yeah, it seems so."

She nodded and sat back in her own chair. Sheppard had taken a seat beside her, and several other people were coming in, introductions quickly made: Dr. Keller, a petite woman who looked like she was barely older than the boys, Major Lorne, another military man and apparently also a team leader like Sheppard, and Dr. Henry Baines, a slightly overweight, balding man who carried a notebook and wore a smile that told Chris right away he was a mind-doctor.

As the last of them, Baines, settled in, the debriefing began. They acted as though it were a casual conversation between new acquaintances – Baines kept referring to it as 'getting to know each other'; but Chris caught on quickly to the fact that the information was going mostly from him to them with little actually coming back.

The deposing took a turn, though, when Keller started asking about the boys. She seemed innocent enough, all wide eyes and sweet smile, but he had his hands flat on the table, ready to push up, when Sheppard held up a hand and interrupted.

"The boys are not open for discussion," he said softly, leaning back in his chair. "We know all we need to know about them right now."

Chris stopped his motion forward, looking at the other man even as Keller started smoothly, "But we need to do some tests – "

"They are not ours to study, Doctor," Carter cut her off. "I gather that our first impression was not favorable, and I have to say, in Captain Larabee's place, I'd be a little reluctant to trust us on this topic as well. It probably doesn't mean much at this point, but I would like to extend my personal apologies as well as that of the people of this mission for what happened. It is not usually our SOP to go into an encounter that aggressively."

That was three of them, he thought, three of them apologizing.

Oddly, though, from her, he thought it might actually be sincere, and not the party line.

He nodded, relaxing slightly. "The boys are under our protection. I will not have them compromised for any reason. If that nullifies any help from you, say so now and return us to the planet – "

"Our help is offered with no strings, sir," Carter interrupted. "We just want as much information as we can get, to stop the Wraith or at least contain them."

"And the Replicators?" Chris asked. "Any other bad guys coming up we need to know about?"

She shook her head once, but sort of smiled. "Not that we know of, anyway. So – do you know anything about the Relicators?"

He smiled at her. "Not one damned thing."

The debriefing turn around then, and he was getting information – similar to what Sheppard had already told him, but a little deeper and coming from different people – enough so that Chris had a certain confidence that whether it was true or not, they all believed the same thing, that these Replicators were created by the Ancestors as some sort of experiment, that they had escaped from whatever controls had been set in place, and they were at war with the Wraith and had even less concern about sacrificing humans – the Wraith food supply – than the Wraith did.

It was even less palatable now than it had been when Sheppard had first started talking about it.

In the end, he was more enlightened by the dialogue than they were, even though he was able to share – and share gladly – some intel on the Genii that didn't seem to surprise them but was new to them. His basic understanding of the Travelers seemed to be new to them entirely, so in that respect, he felt he had something to trade – that and the knowledge of several of the more advanced technologies that these new Atlanteans hadn't yet encountered. He actually felt a little thrill of vengeance when he mentioned Larin and Sheppard grimaced, apparently having met her, but not on the same diplomatic terms that Chris had.

"Captain Larabee," Keller said as the topic of Genii tactics was winding to a close, "I understand that you have medical records on the two children that you rescued." She was tentative, watching him closely for any sign of reaction to her words.

He looked from her to Carter, who was studying her medical officer as well with a certain irritation, and back.

He nodded once, short and sharp and with no words.

Keller swallowed, her gaze flickering, but she was brave enough to continue, "I'm not asking to see them – the boys, I mean, I'm not asking to examine them or to get anywhere near them. But it would really be a great help to us to see those records – copies, of course, not the originals, you can delete anything from them that you don't want to share – "

"How is this going to help you?" he interrupted, wondering how honest they would be.

Afterwards, he decided that if they weren't being completely honest, he might not want to know anymore.

"A virus that makes Wraith human," he said, staring at Keller.

"Not quite," the doctor said, a little uncomfortable. "They're inherently human – as I suspect you should know from the children. The virus just . . . keep the Wraith genes from being dominant, so that the human characteristics remain in control."

"But the virus isn't fool-proof."

"Dr. Beckett was in the process of trying to refine it when he was killed," Carter said quietly, and Chris was instantly aware that this death had been recent and was still being mourned. Even Keller, who had come into her position because of it, seemed a little upset at the loss.

Sheppard and Lorne were both looking away, Sheppard at the far wall, Lorne at the tabletop. Carter met Chris' eyes, and that told him that she had not been in command at the time it happened.

"And you think there may be something in Vin and JD's genetics that might help you understand how to better control the Wraith genes, to turn them off." Carter looked at Keller, so he did as well.

The doctor took a deep breath. "They are the closest thing to a mix that we have encountered. It certainly can't hurt."

Chris nodded, thinking about it. "Let me talk to my medic. If he agrees, and if it doesn't look like it could compromise the boys, we'll give you what we can."

"Thank you," Keller said, and she smiled, an open expression that made her again look like a kid. He knew this was why they had been allowed to come, to see Atlantis in its secret location.

"There is something else," Carter said, her voice light, but her eyes serious. "I understand that your people were . . . "

His jaw locked, but he spoke through his teeth. "Culled, yes, Colonel."

"But – the planet itself, Thesea . . . From what we have heard, you had one of the more advanced technologies in this galaxy?"

He tilted his head to one side, another part of the puzzle sliding into place. "We did – and yes, Colonel, I suspect that most of our technology that wasn't destroyed in the last attack is still on the planet, unless it's been scavenged. The Travelers have probably gotten some of it, and the Genii I know did take what they could." He shrugged. "But you didn't bring us here to ask for our permission to go there and take what you want."

Carter nodded at him, her gaze still direct. "It would be nice to have your permission – we do not wish to steal from any one with the right to the property – but yes, as callous as it sounds, we do not need your permission, no. What we would like, however, what we would ask, is that you consider helping us with it – helping us to learn how to work with it to the best benefit."

He held his expression and his tension, giving nothing away even as he thought about it. It was unexpected – it hadn't occurred to him or to any of his people that these people who now controlled the City of the Ancestors would need help with anything in this galaxy.

"I can't speak for my team on a matter like this," he said eventually, and slowly, still trying to think it through. "I will talk to them and see what they think. I assume that you will be using anything we have – had," he corrected himself quickly, "in the battle for this galaxy, for the humans here."

Carter nodded. "We see the Wraith and the Replicators as the major enemies to humankind here. Our goal is the defense of Atlantis and its allies – and we would hope that you are included in that group."

He did allow himself a small smile. "All five of us?"

She smiled back. "All five of you. Or – isn't it seven?"

Touché, he thought. "As I said, I'll talk to my team."

Carter smiled at him, nodded, then said, "And while we're on the subject of technology, I understand that you have a Wraith dart. I gather that you haven't determined how to operate it?"

Chris took a breath, stalling to frame an answer.

She saved him the trouble. "You know then that it takes someone who understands the Wraith mental interface to operate it – and you haven't wanted to put the boys in that sort of position, to test it."

He blinked, then smiled just a little. Despite himself, he was coming to like this woman. "They're curious – too damned much so sometimes. We found out by accident that they have the ability to power it up, and to make it move. But neither of them have any experience with – well, pretty much, anything. I won't let them - or us, take the chance."

"We have discovered the same thing – as you have heard, I believe, Teyla has Wraith genes. She has managed to do limited things with what little Wraith technology we have had our hands on. Dr. McKay was able to design an interface that modified the Wraith technology so that Colonel Sheppard could fly one - but we haven't had a chance to build another interface as we haven't had access to another dart or Wraith ship. We'd love the opportunity to expand our knowledge of Wraith technology."

He met her eyes and arched one eyebrow. "Expand your knowledge of Wraith technology? You would be using your own people because the boys truly have no skills in that area, Colonel, and I have no intention of letting them be used – "

"I understand, I promise you. If we have your permission, we will get the dart back here ourselves, and we will share with you any information we get from it. Is that acceptable?" She smiled again, and he almost found himself agreeing without a thought.

His brain did engage though, and he said, "I'll think about it, and get back to you. I'd like to make sure I haven't forgotten something, before I make a commitment – you understand."

Carter nodded, but as she started to speak, a frown crossed her face and she touched her earpiece, listened to whomever was on the other end, then nodded and said, "Thank you, Dr. They'll meet you in the gate room shortly." Her eyes came to Chris, and she smiled. "Dr. Zelenka and Mr. Sanchez have gathered together what they think they need and are loading it on the jumper now." She gestured to Lorne, who stood, and Chris did the same as she continued, "Major Lorne will show you to them now, perhaps take you the long way around, let you see a little of the city, if you'd like. I need to see Major Sheppard for a few minutes, if you don't mind, before we get you back to your planet."

Chris nodded, not surprised – she wanted Sheppard's opinion of him, the same way he would want the opinions of his men if they were in an inverse situation.

"Thank you for help, Colonel Carter," he said, taking her hand as she offered it once more.

And truth be told, he wouldn't have missed seeing the City of the Ancestors, even if it was just a short walk around the outer perimeter, with a quick stop at an open balcony to see the ocean, hear it, feel the spray of it.

It was so different from what he'd experienced these past months that it was almost surreal. He wished Buck were with him, hoped he could bring him back here someday.

Hoped they weren't going to have a fight before this was done.

No, that little voice in his head that knew Buck told him, there wasn't going to be a fight. For one of the few times in the long years they had been together as friends and off-and-on lovers, Buck had already made his decision, and it wouldn't be changed.

The question was whether Chris could accept it and live with it as well.

"Everything all right, sir?" Lorne was attentive – of course. He had made it very clear what was off-limits in their little tour, but he hadn't been rude about it.

"Great view," Chris answered, staring out at the water. The sun was sparking off of it, almost as blinding as it was at mid-day, shining off the white sands of their desert world. "We should get back."

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;

"But – what about the stress on the structure of the ships?" JD asked, staring at the monitor over McKay's shoulder. "There's hardly time between exiting one wormhole and entering the next – at least if this grid pattern is as tight in reality as it is here on the simulation."

"Of course it's as tight – you think I'm a beginner?" McKay snapped back, deigning to glance over his shoulder at the boy. "And what do you know about structural wear and tear – where did you learn anything about the physics of interstellar space flight and - "

"Josiah has tons of information on it in his computer – and it's not like there's a lot here to do!" JD retorted. Before McKay could answer, he reached past him, pointing at the screen. "There – that calculation right there – someone else thinks the same thing!"

McKay bent closer, looking to where the boy pointed, then snorted. "Radek – he's always worrying about that sort of thing. You two are gonna love each other."

Ezra tried not to smile, listening to the conversation. They had been at it for over an hour now, since the boys had come into the compound. McKay had resented the boy at first, going on about hating children and having to deal with them. Not surprisingly, JD had returned the annoyance and quickly done everything he could to prove he wasn't stupid.

Which – he wasn't. He might not have the full range of education that McKay did, but he knew far more than a child his age should.

A boy his age, Ezra corrected himself. They weren't dealing with children, never had been, despite the strange innocences the boys had about some things.

He glanced to his right, not surprised to find Vin crouched on the ground beside him, still watching JD and McKay as well. In the same way that JD had gone straight up to McKay, his innate curiosity overcoming all sense of – well, sense, Vin's overactive sense of paranoia had brought him to where Ezra sat, farthest away from anyone else.

"She still trying to talk to you telepa- in your head?" he asked softly, resisting the urge to reach out and touch the boy. Only Buck and Josiah had earned the right to invade Vin's space without him drawing away, and even they did it slowly and with care.

Vin frowned, then shook his head, once, his gaze drifting from JD to Teyla, who sat with Nathan and Buck on the other end of the table from McKay. She was distracted, Ezra thought, getting information from the others. And he knew he should be over there, seeing what information he could extract in return. But right now, he needed a little more background, which was what he was looking at in the library of his own carry-com, information about the Athosians, and these New Atlanteans. His information was sparse, but none of it contradicted what they had been told.

"Vin?" The call was quiet, and Ezra looked up when Vin did, surprised to see Buck looking in their direction. After a short pause, McKay and JD returned to what they were going on about, but Ezra didn't miss the quick glance that JD gave to Vin, a glance that was concerned, but quickly gone. JD had his own preoccupation at the moment, something new and different and challenging to his vast and hungry mind.

A mind that was already light-years ahead of many of the adults here. Certainly well ahead of Vin.

"Come here," Buck called, lifting a hand toward them.

Ezra glanced to Vin, not surprised to see the reluctance and confusion on his expressive face. But he slowly stood, glancing at Ezra as if in need of confirmation that he hadn't imagined the call.

Ezra nodded, smiling slightly. "Buck won't let any harm befall you – none of us shall. Go along, I shall be here should you have need of me."

Vin swallowed, then looked back to Buck before stepping forward with a visible effort. He couldn't very well sneak up on them – they were watching him. But he was even more silent and deliberate than usual, his head turned so that his eyes were always on the newcomers.

Ezra watched him take a wide arc so that he came in toward Buck at an angle, the time he took seeming to amuse Buck even more. Nathan shook his head, but Ezra could see the turn of a smile on the medic's face. Teyla said and did nothing, glancing toward Vin occasionally even as she continued the conversation she was having with the two team members.

Curious, Ezra rose as Vin came in close to Buck, letting the second-in-command slip an arm familiarly around his shoulders.

Vin stood stiff, staring at Teyla as if she were something dangerous, something predatory.

Ezra came close in time to see her smile, trying to lessen Vin's anxiety. Unfortunately, while pleasant, her expression seemed to have the opposite effect; Vin made a little noise, like a cry, and tried to back out of the hold Buck had on him.

"She's not a doctor, Vin," Nathan said softly, calmly, and Ezra remembered that most of the doctors who had hurt Vin, most of the ones who had ordered the tortures – in the name of medical research – had been women. It gave him pause, and he looked at the woman again. She was playing in Vin's mind – did he know something that they didn't?

Buck caught one of Vin's hands, holding it even as he pulled Vin up against him. Ezra frowned; he'd never known the man to manhandle the boys unless it was absolutely necessary, and he knew that the effects could, in the long run, be worse psychologically.

"I'm sorry you're frightened of me," Teyla said quietly, looking at Vin. She was no longer smiling, but she didn't seem hostile or aggressive. "I have no desire to hurt you, I promise."

Vin ducked his head, not meeting her eyes – not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Vin?" Buck said softly. "You think something different?"

And Ezra understood. He didn't agree with the tactics – but then, the only reason for his disagreement was because he cared about the boys. Had he not known them, had this been almost any other situation, he would have been the one sanctioning this method.

It wasn't to get Vin to warm up to her, it was so that they could know if she was, in truth, threatening them. Vin had been the one to demonstrate the most ability with the telepathy; he was pleased that Buck was showing some aptitude in his own area.

Vin was looking at her differently now, studying instead of watching. He still had the pervasive fear, and the slight tremble in his body, but his attention was elsewhere, inward perhaps. Eventually, he looked down and swallowed, then shook his head once.

"She in your head?" Buck said very softly, more a whisper against Vin's hair. He wasn't trying to hide the question though.

Vin shook his head once more, strands of his sun-bleached hair catching in Buck's brown mustache.

To her credit, Teyla did not look offended by the lack of trust.

Buck nodded, looking to her. He released Vin's hands and the arm around the boy relaxed. Vin could move away now, if he wanted, and to a certain degree, he did, stepping back. But one of his long-fingered hands, over-large in that way that adolescents developed, rose to catch Buck's hand on his shoulder, holding it tightly.

"I will not hurt them," Teyla said. "I will not enter their thoughts unless they want me to."

Buck looked up at Vin as he said, "I think that's a fine idea – don't you, Vin?"

Ezra saw the confusion Vin's face, but he also saw a sort of relief. Vin nodded, once, his head down but his eyes on Teyla.

Something else was there too, though, Ezra thought, seeing a sort of curiosity in the boy's eyes. And it stayed there, growing in little bits as the conversation at this end of the table turned to Teyla's people, the Athosians.

"They have disappeared," she said softly at one point, looking at the table. "We do not know what has become of them, whether they were culled by the Wraith – which seems unlikely as the Wraith did not know they were there – or whether someone else took them. It is as though they simply vanished."

He wasn't surprised at all when Buck reached across the table, touching her hand lightly and in sympathy. In all the years he'd know the other man, he'd never known Buck to deny a woman solace, even one who was suspect. . It was an incredible weakness, as Ezra had tried to tell him many times. He sighed. It was a battle he'd never win.

She didn't pull away, even though she did flinch a little at the contact. But what was more of interest was Vin's reaction; when she flinched, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, he tilted his head, blinked, then moved closer, gracefully sliding over the bench to sit next to Buck.

Something had happened, Ezra could tell, and he knew he wasn't the only one; Nathan's face showed a sort of surprise as well, but like Ezra, he was watching Vin, not Teyla. Vin had never been this assertive before. This brave.

"How long before they get back?" McKay suddenly called out, his voice loud and excited. "The zed-pm – I can see where it is – we need to go get it!"

"I thought you said there was radiation," Buck said, and Ezra smiled at the faint humor in the other man's tone. Buck could be amused by almost anything, even this annoying man.

And a way, it was vastly amusing; there actually was someone in the galaxy who could annoy all of them even more than Ezra could. He wondered if there was something he should learn.

"There is radiation, but I think I've got it worked out – I know where it is and how to get to it – provided that the shield is there to hide it, not to keep it from being taken – "

"But you have no way of knowing for certain," Ezra interrupted, looking up at McKay. JD was hovering behind the doctor, watching over his shoulder at whatever McKay was doing to the keyboard, his face holding a sort of fascination that Ezra had seen from time to time.

"There's no way to know for certain," McKay answered distractedly, "but I'm reasonably confident that I can get to it – "

"I believe that we should wait for Sheppard to return." Teyla's voice held a finality that made even McKay look over to her.

He looked as if he might argue, but JD actually interjected, "We might get better readings if we move closer – we could walk up toward the caves – not into them, but close enough to see if we can get a better reading."

McKay glanced over his shoulder, irritated, and said, "Yes, I was just about to suggest that – do you mind? How about letting the adults do the talking?"

JD laughed though, a boyish sound that made Ezra smile despite himself. "So you can negotiate? You take too long – let's just go." He was already turning away when Buck's voice called out sharply.

"JD!" The big man was on his feet, stepping hurriedly over the bench to catch up even as Vin scrambled out of his way. "What'd I tell you?"

Ezra found himself standing, his fingers resting comfortably around the butt of his sidearm. Nathan was on his feet as well, leaving only the two newcomers seated, even though they were staring in confusion.

JD turned, confused as well, then he sighed. "Sorry," he mumbled, but there seemed to be less true apology in it than sufferance.

Buck's face showed his annoyance, and a fine underline of concern.

It was McKay, though, who broke the silence. "I doubt we have time before it gets full dark – and I don't expect that you have battery-powered lights or anything – no, didn't think so." He sighed. "So we really do have to wait for Sheppard to get back. This just sucks. Hey – don't you people ever eat? My blood sugar's dropping – don't you feed your guests?"

The bluntness in his statement broke the tension and despite himself, Ezra smiled.

Buck shook his head, then turned to Vin who was standing back and away, looking from JD to Buck and back. "Let's light the fire, get some dinner started."

Vin hurried away, quick as always to please Buck, probably as ready to be doing something.

"Hope y'all like stew," Nathan said, ambling off after Vin to start the food preparation.

"As long as it doesn't have citrus in it – it doesn't, does it? I'm allergic to citrus – you know, lemons, oranges – all those icky pulpy things?" His voice had gotten progressively louder as Nathan had continued away.

"I assure you, Doctor," Ezra said pleasantly, "we have little citrus here. I personally look forward to returning to places where fruits can be found – the cactus-like products here are not particularly flavor-rich."

"Cactus? Bleack," McKay made a face. "I get rashes from those – "

"I am certain that we will be most pleased with anything you find to share," Teyla said quietly, and Ezra was once more impressed with her diplomacy.

JD eased back to stand behind McKay, looking over his shoulder again – standing close.

Too close, Ezra thought, and glancing at Buck, he knew he wasn't the only one to feel this way.

"JD, go help Vin," Buck said shortly.

JD looked up then, his eyes hard in the evening light. For several seconds, Ezra thought the boy was going to argue, his young face taut and surprisingly fierce.

Again – and this time more curiously, McKay once more interceded. "Hey, kid," he said, looking over his shoulder, "make sure none of that cactus stuff gets near my food – can you handle that? And really – keep an eye out for anything that even vaguely looks or smells like citrus – I could die, you know!"

JD grinned even though McKay had returned to staring at his monitor and couldn't see it. "I'll see to it," he said before rushing away after Vin and Nathan.

Ezra didn't watch him leave, more intent on Buck, who was scowling even more, and Teyla, who also was frowning, but her eyes were directed toward McKay.

Dinner wasn't silent, but McKay, prompted by questions from Buck and JD, did most of the talking. Ezra listened, of course, finding quickly that what he needed to know – what exactly a 'zed-pm' was and why it was so important to McKay – was spare compared to the amount of technical information McKay gave, probably with the intent of impressing the rest of them. He tried to guide the conversation, but McKay was more easily distracted by questions from JD.

What it actually proved was that JD was as smart as Ezra had supposed. But the discourse gave him ample opportunity to evaluate the others, nor were there many surprises. Sadly.

He took charge of the clean-up, as much to get a few minutes alone with Vin as anything else. The boy was already bustling about, pouring water to wash the dishes, putting away what little was left in the small refrigeration unit they maintained.

Helpful. It still amazed Ezra how hard-working Vin was – both boys, really, but Vin seemed to need to be doing something, to be helping. To pay them back for saving him, Ezra supposed, even though he was reasonably certain Vin hadn't thought about it, probably didn't know to consider such.

"She's very pretty," he said, picking up one of the wooden bowls Vin had just washed and drying it with the ragged towel they used for such.

Vin looked up at him, tendrils of his hair hanging in his eyes and obscuring his confusion only a little. It didn't happen often, and probably now he only saw it because of the way the day was going, but the way the boy looked at this precise moment, eyes and skin bleached of color in the spare light, his hair drifting long and almost white, Ezra could see the Wraith genes at their most effective. Despite himself, he shivered as a tendril of fear snaked up his spine.

"You were watching her very closely at the table," Ezra elaborated, trying to get his mind back to the conversation. "I assumed it was because she is very pretty."

Vin looked even more confused, and Ezra reminded himself that the boys didn't think like other boys their age, didn't think like Ezra had when he was that age.

"You don't find her attractive?" He set the bowl aside and picked up another one, pretending not to be looking at Vin even though he was.

"She is . . . " Vin's voice was soft, so quiet that Ezra had to strain to hear. But it was a compliment that he was speaking at all. Talking was an effort for him, his voice another casualty of the Genii 'research'. "She has a little 'un in her."

Ezra blinked, trying first to make the sounds make sense then to make the words make sense.

Vin frowned, embarrassed by his inability to communicate. He took one hand from the bucket of water, careful not to waste the precious liquid as he cupped his hand then placed it over his own flat belly.

Ezra blinked. There was no mistaking that gesture.

"How do you know?" he blurted, glancing from Vin's hand to his eyes.

Vin shrugged, going back to the dishes. "Feel it."

"Is that why you're fascinated by her?" he asked, wiping at the bowl he was holding.

Vin stopped moving again, thinking, then said very quietly, "The little 'un," he rasped, turning to Ezra. "She worries 'bout it. Thinks it could be like me." He shook his head, his hair spilling around his face. "Hope not."

Ezra did too, but he didn't say it.

Instead, after a few minutes and most of the dishes done, he said, "Her teammates do not know, do they."

Vin's head moved in another denial, before he said, "She's doesn't want to tell no one, not 'til she . . . 'til the daddy is back. But now, she's 'fraid he won't, 'and her l'il 'un – the others . . . " He paused, searching for words.

Ezra helped him. "Afraid that the new Atlanteans will welcome her child as they did you."

Vin nodded again. "She's . . . she's like my ma."

His attention was focused down, on the big pot he had in the water with the cleanser that Nathan managed to produce as they needed it. At that angle, Ezra couldn't see the marks Ronon's gun had left on Vin's forehead, but he knew they were there, had seen them at dinner, the purple bruising sharp in the fading light of the sun, the dancing light of the candles they had lit for the table.

He looked over to where Nathan, Buck and Teyla were sitting near the fire, talking, heads close together. McKay and JD were close to the fire too, the computer between them but McKay actually talking to the boy – answering questions as though he were a teacher and JD a very bright student.

He felt movement beside him and looked to find Vin close, wiping his hands on his pants. His face was streaked as well – Nathan and Josiah had taught the boys to wipe their wet hands on themselves, in hopes of encouraging some level of cleanliness.

The bruise on his head was fading already, the purple not as deep now. Once, he had thought it would be nice to heal so quickly, for pain to recede. But that had been before the day they had landed on this planet, all of them battered and shaken from the battle to get away. The day he had helped Nathan care for the semi-conscious boy, holding Vin while Nathan had applied what medicines he had to the raw burns on the boy's shoulders and back. He'd seen wounds like that before, in battles and afterwards, soldiers not fortunate enough to die when laser weapons had hit them but having to suffer the agony of slow death. Only Vin's regenerative powers had saved him – but the price . . .

Vin looked up at him – not a long way, Vin was finally beginning to grow some, now that they had found a stable diet and he was sleeping more. Not as skinny as he had been, muscles growing in from hard work, work that he undertook himself. A little warrior, too, watching them train then doing it himself. After the visit by the Wraith, no one had tried to dissuade him or JD from learning what they could to protect themselves.

"I would hazard to guess that we may be going to Atlantis before this is done," Ezra commented casually. "Despite the rather volatile first encounter, they seem to have a few things to offer us."

Vin looked to the fire, to the two groups. His face was pensive, and Ezra could well understand his concern. It was one Ezra shared as well. "I would assume that Mr. Wilmington and Mr. Jackson have made promises of their protection, but I should like to take this moment to add my own to the list as well."

Vin was startled, twisting to look at him. "You ain't gotta . . . "

Ezra smiled, feeling oddly warmed by the boy's concern for him. "I'm quite aware that I am under no obligation. I assure you – no one here is more aware of what they do and don't have to do than myself, young sir."

Vin held his gaze and Ezra felt the scrutiny, deep and thorough. It wasn't new, but it was rare, a re-evaluation of his worth, he knew. Of his integrity. It was a sort of physical relief when Vin blinked, then tilted his head to one side, his lips curving up just a little.

"'Preciate it," Vin said in his grating rasp. "Ain't got no way to pay ya back, but – I'll try."

Very slowly, Ezra lifted his hand, reaching for Vin's shoulder. "You owe me nothing, nor does JD. But I would ask you to exercise discretion for now – should the others hear of my offer, I suspect they shall find some reason to question my motives. I should just as soon let them think what they will, when they will."

His words confused the boy, as he had known they would. But after puzzling on them for a few seconds, Vin nodded. "Won't tell nobody."

"Good man." He squeezed his fingers, thrilled when Vin didn't pull away.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

"Eight hours then," Sheppard said, nodding to Chris and Josiah as Buck watched. "We'll be back."

"We'll be expecting you," Chris acknowledged with a nod.

The doors of the small ship closed – 'puddlejumper', Buck remembered them calling it – and it rose slow and smooth, gliding effortlessly through the darkness, hardly stirring the gritty sand.

They stood, watching it rise into the atmosphere, its hull reflecting the light of the rising moons.

The silence seemed precious suddenly, a relief, and Buck could almost hear the echo of McKay's lectures.

In the wake of the thought, his eyes fell to JD who was beside him, his eyes glittering in the darkness. He'd wanted to go – and almost asked to, stopped only by Buck's hand on his arm.

McKay had seemed to understand, his voice quiet as he had promised JD that he would return in the morning – after all, there was a 'zed-pm to rescue', as he put it. JD was restless though, excited at all that he had learned, at having someone to talk to, to learn from.

Hell, in their own ways, all of them were excited.

"You wanna hear about it?" Chris asked, just loud enough for the others to hear.

They did.

Water seemed to be the most notable thing – both Chris and Josiah couldn't find words for it, or the lack of heat. They described the city, its inhabitants – all the wonders and delights and technologies and – questions and concerns.

Chris and Josiah did most of the talking, their stories – separate, as they'd not yet had time to discuss between them what they had seen and done and heard – corroborating everything they had so far been told, and what the others had learned from Teyla and McKay.

They had moved inside as soon as the shuttle was gone, gathered in the cramped central room of the small ship they had come to call home. Chris and Buck were on one small couch, Josiah and Ezra on the other while Nathan and JD sat on the small bed that JD slept in. Vin . . .

Buck looked around while Ezra asked Chris and Josiah questions, fleshing out the specifics of the various groups they were just learning of. The questions skimmed over the details of the technologies, and JD interjected often, his answers from McKay two or three degrees deeper than where Josiah was going as well – but still corroborative.

Vin sat on the floor, in the small space where he slept between the inner wall and what usually served as the head of JD's bed. He wasn't asleep, his eyes open and focused, but his back was hunched, his arms wrapped around his knees.

Buck rose, moving through the crowded space to sit on the head of the bed. Vin looked up at him, curious and a little wary, but not scared. As the chatter continued in the background, JD's voice carrying distinctively, Buck leaned down. "You okay? It's been a pretty scary day."

Vin nodded at him, one easy move accompanied by a little shift of his lips. Not scared, not at the moment. Tired – Buck could see that in his posture, and sad, that was clear too in the posture. But there was something else, something deeper.

"Vin?" he asked, turning so that his back was to the others, blocking Vin as well. Giving as much privacy as he could in the small space.

Vin sighed, looking up at Buck. He sat up, his chin off his knees, and shook his head. "'Lantis," he said, more a breath than a sound. "Y'all gonna go."

"Ain't no decisions been made about anything," Buck answered. "And no matter what happens, or where we go, you're gonna go with us."

But instead of reassuring him, the words seemed to make him more uneasy. He glanced back to the others, then shook his head once. "Better if I stayed here. JD . . . " He paused, swallowing, and Buck remembered clearly the way JD had hovered around McKay, the way the two had finally bonded.

The way that JD had shut Vin out from the minute the boys had walked into the compound.

"JD's . . . it's nothing for you to worry about," Buck said, having no idea how to explain the process of growing up, much less to someone with no reference points. "JD's just caught up in the moment. But he ain't leaving you behind, ain't none of us gonna do that. Now, why don't you lay down and get yourself some sleep, all right? We gonna have another long day tomorrow, too, getting this bucket off the ground and getting that power thing out of the caves."

But as he settled Vin down, covering him with what bedding they had, he heard JD rattling on about the things McKay had told him, the expansion of JD's own view of the universe. Heard JD being the kid he was – the kid they had all been before the galaxy went to hell.

When he turned around, JD was still talking, Josiah feeding him points while Nathan looked on, but Chris and Ezra were both drowsing.

"Bedtime," he called, pushing off of the low couch. "Think we're all more than a little ready." He squeezed JD's shoulder as he passed by, nodding to Josiah who looked a little relieved to have someone make the call, then leaned in and caught his lover by the elbow, pulling him awake and up. "Come on, stud, bed's calling, tomorrow's gonna be here earlier than any of us want."

Chris let himself be dragged along, calling good-nights over his shoulder, then sighing with a sort of relief when the door closed behind them and they were alone.

Buck shared the feeling, and gave in instantly to the pleasure of the door being closed to kiss Chris long and deep and full of all the need he had gathered through the course of this never-ending day. And all the fear.

They'd wanted to get off of this planet for so long, to be able to move about as they wanted. But now that the option was here, the opportunity, all he could see were the problems and unanswered questions. And the very real possibility that the things he held dear were going to be sitting on different sides of his heart.

"I missed you there today," Chris breathed when they finally broke apart. "The first touch of that air – thought I was gonna come right there. Felt almost as good as you – Buck, you'd love this place, the water, the sunlight, the – "

"They want us?" he countered, trying not to let himself get caught up in the warm feeling in his belly, the one that was caused now by knowing that Chris had been thinking of him, wanting him. "They make an offer?"

Chris tilted his head to one side, raising a hand to slide it through Buck's hair. "Not yet. But I 'spect it's coming. They need teams to explore the ring worlds – gate worlds, as they call 'em, and we're a team. Betcha they got some of their own people – Ronon, probably – already looking for intel on us, see if we're who we say we are."

"We'd be doing the same thing – hell, have been," Buck grinned. But the edge of cold fear slithered through the heat he had found. "Put it up to a team vote?" he asked, stepping back to look into Chris' eyes.

Chris frowned, but said clearly, "You think of some other way to do it? I may be team leader, but that's asking a lot more than running an op."

Buck nodded, taking a deep breath.

But before he could ask, before he could say anything, Chris' hand slid down his head and around, his rough fingers reaching around to cup Buck's ear and jaw as his palm covered Buck's mouth. "If you're gonna do something stupid like tell me you're gonna stay with the boys and I gotta choose between you and them, or living without you, then spare us both. I ain't happy about it – mostly 'cause I think them kids deserve one hell of a lot more than what we got to offer. But I ain't leaving 'em out there for the wolves either, and I'd have to kick your ass if you thought of one minute that I would. So let's not have this conversation – or let's pretend that we did, and it was fight, and you kicked my ass, and now we're on to the make-up sex – that work for you?"

It did, in ways he wasn't even aware he'd been worried about.

It started fast and hard – both of them so tense with the worry of the day, the fear, that adrenalin kicked in quick, and they were grinding against each other at the door. Chris, a force of nature in his own right, pushed away, driving them the very short distance to the bed and onto it without breaking the teeth-clashing kiss they were in. Hazily, Buck worried for the dress uniform, vaguely relieved that Ezra had reclaimed his parts of it as soon as the Atlantean jumper was in the air, but he forced a slower pace with the stripping down, knowing they didn't have the means at present to repair any damage.

By the time he had Chris ready, legs spread and body open and waiting, they were both moving slower and easier, the need still as desperate but driven by different emotions.

"Love you," Buck whispered into one gritty ear as he slowly breached the small opening. "Love them boys too."

"I know," Chris grunted, his legs straining as they wrapped more tightly around Buck's waist, pulling him deeper. "Won't make you choose."

Before Buck could answer, they were both distracted by the physical, the coupling as intense as the day.

Later though, pulling the blankets around them and wrapping himself around Chris, Buck wondered if Chris knew that the choice had already been made.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

"Hand me the metric wrench – that one," Josiah nodded as Vin held up one of the long, worn tools. "Now here – hold this while I – good, that's it."

"I have the linkage corrected," Zelenka said, his accented voice rolling easily from the inside of the cockpit. "Once you have the unit in place, we should be able to interface."

"Knew you brainy types were good for something," Josiah grunted, the thick muscles of his arm straining as he pushed the large piece of machinery into place. He grunted again, louder as the stabilizer fought him, resistant, and pushed as hard as he could.

Something brushed against him, and he knew Vin was pushing as well. Despite his small size, the boy was all muscle too, and with a teeth-hurting grate of metal on metal, the stabilizer finally slid home.

Josiah let out a long breath, looking up at his helper. "Couldn't have done it without you," he grinned, pleased when he saw a little grin on Vin's face.

"The sensors are all registering," Zelenka called from inside the ship. "The unit is ready to be brought on-line – any objections?"

"It's all yours," Josiah called back, even as he stepped away, pulling Vin with him.

They'd been working with it for hours now, forming and reforming the parts they needed, working with the intricate connections that made the machinery work as it was supposed to and allowed it to do what was commanded from the computer brain. Between Zelenka's engineering brilliance and Josiah's own practical knowledge, they had virtually redesigned and rebuilt the thrusters so that they would not only work, but work more effectively and last longer.

In the process, the two men had come to know and like each other, and Josiah was almost sad that they would be parting soon.

The engines came on-line, starting as a low purr that grew into a fine hum that Josiah knew well. Better, though, was the bass rumble of the thrusters activating, then the clicking and grinding of the thrusters responding to test commands.

The ship was operational. He knew he was grinning, but he couldn't help it. They were mobile again.

The engines slowly wound down, then cut out as Zelenka powered it off, then stepped into the doorway. "I would advise taking it for a flight around the planet before leaving the atmosphere," he said lightly, but he too was smiling. "She's a beauty, very well constructed and planned. This is – Thesean?"

Josiah nodded, ignoring the stir of pain that came at the mention of his former planet. Former home. "Mostly. It's been modified a lot, where ever we can find something we can use. It's more simple now than it was when we started out, but then, there's only one place to look for original spare parts and nobody was willing to . . . "

Zelenka's face softened somewhat, his eyes sincerely sympathetic. "No, I suspect not. You have done a remarkable job with what you have been able to find. The design modifications that you have made – "

"We do what we must." He was uncomfortable with this line of conversation. Other peoples had lost their world – Teyla had just told them of her own loss and it made even less sense than a Wraith culling. The Atlanteans were going to need to toughen up if they were going to make it in this galaxy. But it wasn't his place to offer that advice. Instead, he defaulted to a more vague philosophy. "The universe will provide or it won't."

Zelenka tilted his head slightly, rubbing unconsciously at his nose and leaving a smear of machine grease on it.

Josiah almost laughed – no matter how advanced the society, there would always be lubricants to keep it moving.

"The others are not back?" Zelenka asked, looking about.

They were still alone, just the three of them, the others off to salvage this power generator that McKay was so hot about.

"Not yet," Josiah agreed, but glanced at the sun. It was well after mid-day, longer than it should have taken – definitely longer than the last check-in. He reached for his headset, taped it to activate and said softly, "Chris?"

No answer. He glanced to Zelenka, saw the frown on the other man's face and watched as he, too, reached for his headset. "Rodney?" he said, even as he turned away so that they wouldn't be distracting each other.

It didn't take but a minute or so for them to determine that none of their team members were answering, neither Josiah's team nor the Atlanteans.

"Could be the shield," Zelenka suggested even as he checked his own connections, then reached for his tool bag. "We may need to be closer, or we may need – "

"You got a weapon?" Josiah asked, moving to his own kit.

They trudged through the desert, Josiah leading the way but Zelenka pacing him well and with surprisingly little complaint. Vin stayed with them, and Josiah's biggest chore was keeping the boy behind them, out of the line of fire if they encountered an enemy.

"Nothing," Zelenka muttered as they drew within sight of the caves and they still could not make contact. He had out his carry-com now as well, checking readings as they moved. "There is a change in the energy field around the zpm – it looks as though – " He said something in another language, and Josiah had the distinct sense that it was a profanity.

"Problem?" he asked, even though he was reasonably sure he already knew.

"There is a new energy field operative," the little man said. "Rodney probably did something foolish – he is not given to thinking about the consequences when he wants something."

Josiah chuckled at that, stopping for a moment to examine the situation. "It does beg the question of why it was hidden here," he said casually. "Our sensors aren't the best in the galaxy, but Ezra and I have been working with them for a while, upgrading them as we've learned new stuff. There aren't many advanced technologies left, not that we've run across – pretty much why we stayed with the Genii as long as we did." He looked through the binoculars, looking for any sign of where the others were or had gone. "We didn't find the shield, and I'm guessing that the equipment you're using is more Ancestor than your own?"

"Much more," Zelenka agreed. He looked up from his monitor, and Josiah noticed that he swallowed before pushing his sweat-soaked bangs from his face. "Do you think there is trouble?" His accent was a little heavier now, and Josiah couldn't blame him.

"Reckon there'd have to be to keep my team and yours out of contact this long." He looked once more through the binoculars but this time toward the sky and the surrounding landscape. "Don't see any signs of visitors though."

At that, Vin crept a little closer, coming right to Josiah's side. He looked down at the boy, who was looking up at him and frowning. "Something to add, Vin?" he asked, remembering the telepathy idea. "You . . . got a sense of something from JD?"

Vin blinked, looking past Josiah for an instant to Zelenka, his eyes flickering with concern, but when he looked back to Josiah, his eyes were clear. With a slow nod, he pointed to the caves, then said quietly, "They's all right. JD's . . . talking. A lot."

Josiah smiled at him, feeling oddly relieved himself. "No surprise there."

"So – it is true?" Zelenka asked hesitantly. "You can read each other's minds, like –"

"We haven't had time to really research it," Josiah cut him off, not unkindly. "Until your friend told us of it, none of us – not even the boys – realized that it was happening. We're not certain how extensive it is."

Zelenka nodded, pushing at his glasses. "I suspect that there are many people who would like to find out – the ability to tap into the Wraith collective and gain knowledge of their plans . . . "

Josiah stiffened, turning to the smaller man, the idea not one he found pleasant. At his side, Vin tensed as well, shaking his head.

Zelenka looked from Josiah to Vin and back and had the good grace to blush a little. "I didn't mean to – "

"I suspect that your Colonel Carter has had similar ideas," Josiah said lightly, but he looked to Vin. "You know where they are, Vin?"

The boy darted away, and they followed.

As they drew near the caves, the headsets started to fritz, the first activity they had had. Josiah couldn't hear complete words, but he could hear Ezra's voice, his call on a cycle, which meant they had recorded it and were looping it in hopes that he was looking for them. There was, then trouble.

As he realized it, so did Zelenka.

"Rodney is yelling," Zelenka reported, his face grim. "And not in a good way."

"A good way?" Josiah asked distractedly, watching Vin pause at the mouth of one of the caves, looking back at them. Vin didn't think there was trouble, but the indications seemed to be otherwise. This telepathy might have a few problems.

"Rodney yells a lot," Zelenka explained, once more pushing at his glasses and his hair, sweat streaking his pale face. "Some yelling is just yelling, but this yelling – this yelling is serious."

Josiah nodded. That was his impression as well.

"I can't transmit to them," Zelenka continued, looking at Josiah. "Whatever the shield is – or was, it is blocking their ability to receive."

Josiah sighed. "I was hoping our equipment was just faulty, but yeah, we seem to have that problem as well. Can't get through to them."

It didn't take but a few steps into the cave for them to realize the problem.

"The shield," Zelenka sighed. "When they removed the zpm, it probably reset the shield."

"Which was supporting the roof," Josiah sighed, looking up at the hole in the top of the hill, blue sky shining through it and the cloud of dust that was still swirling about in the aftermath of the collapse.

Vin had moved back to stand next to Josiah, his hands fluttering with his anxiety. He pointed to a section of the debris field, then looked to Josiah and said, "JD."

Josiah nodded, but it was Zelenka who asked quietly, "Are the others with him? Can you tell?"

Vin glanced once more to the scientist, then looked at Josiah, unsure.

It was a good question, and one they needed to know the answer to. If there were more than one group, they would need to maximize their efforts. Or come up with a plan more efficient than simply digging them out.

"Tell us what you know," he encouraged. "Better to have as much information as we can."

Vin nodded, looking only at him as he said, "JD, Buck, and Ez are there. JD's not really awake now."

Josiah looked at him, feeling a certain alarm. "What do you mean, Vin?"

Vin frowned, looking at the ground as he concentrated. "He . . . something hit him, I think. His head hurts and he can't wake up all the way."

Josiah glanced at Zelenka, then said quietly, "Concussion from the cave in. We need to get them out."

He'd always been big and muscular, and in this, as other things, it proved an asset – one of their only ones. The debris was mostly rock slabs of earth packed so hard that they were heavy and brittle. The silt produced by their breaking settled in to a sort of mortar of its own, as if the ceiling that had given way had simply reformed as a bubble. It was slow going at first, all three of them digging as hard as they could. Eventually, they created a hole, small enough at first to hear the others; with direct communication, they made better time, so that eventually, through the cloud of dust, they could see Buck, who was digging from the other side.

"JD's bad," Buck said grimly, sweat creating mud-like streaks on what they could see of his face. "Get Nathan up here – "

"He's still trapped," Josiah interrupted, wiping at his brow and thinking that he probably had a mud streak as well. "Let's get you guys out and then we'll work on them."

It still took far longer than Josiah wanted to get the hole big enough for the others to slip through. Ezra looked bad, blood matting his hair and a large bruise along one cheek that was slowly turning his eye black as well. Buck didn't look much better, but more of his blood seemed to be along his arms and seeping through the thin material of his under-shirt, much of it along his back.

JD moaned as Buck handed him through the breach, and Josiah felt Vin behind him, hovering.

"Where are the others?" Buck asked, even as he climbed through. Josiah noted with some passing annoyance and amusement that he leaned in to take JD's limp body back without a thought – proprietary.

Parental.

Josiah relinquished him and straightened, his back protecting the new position. "Vin says that they're – "

"Vin?" Buck turned quickly, jostling the boy in his arms who protested with a soft moan.

Vin was close, almost bumping into JD's feet when Buck turned, and Josiah answered quickly, "The radios are not getting through the rubble – "

"We think it might be the radiation from the shielding, which is higher now that the shield is off," Zelenka cut in, standing to one side near Ezra, watching as the intel officer staggered a little, fighting to keep his balance.

"So – you've been using Vin to communicate with Teyla?" His words were hard and he was glaring at Josiah with a sort of righteous indignation that Josiah recognized again as 'parental'.

"We didn't ask him," Zelenka started to explain, but it was Vin who actually answered.

"I can hear her in my head," he said quietly, stepping between Buck and Josiah. "Like JD – only JD is . . . very quiet." He looked to the other boy, his concern clear. "Teyla is not hurt. But she is – they are – she – " Vin stopped, struggling as he so often did for the words.

Buck sighed, glancing over to Ezra and nodding. Ezra sank to the ground, sighing with a relief that let Josiah know how much the other man was willing himself to control. He'd been hit pretty hard as well.

Buck moved to him, dropping into a crouch to place JD so that his head lay on one of Ezra's thighs. "We gotta get 'em out of there," he said grimly, even as he stroked JD's bangs off his forehead and out of the sticky pool of drying blood. "If it's so tight that radios won't get through, they may not have air, either."

"It is very . . . heavy," Vin murmured, one hand rising to touch his temple. "The air. They don't like it. It, . . smells funny."

Josiah glanced to Zelenka who looked at him. "Any ideas?"

They both looked to the wall of boulder and stones that reached almost to the ceiling, but worse covered a hole in the floor as well.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

Chris dug harder, pulling out more rocks, cussing when the wall that created their prison shifted, more dust rising, but no hole appearing. He was reaching as high as he could, hoping that they were above the level of the floor that had given way under them.

Sheppard was beside him, digging as hard has he was – maybe more. It was his man, after all, who had gotten them here. Fortunately – perhaps most of all for McKay, the man was unconscious, hit by one of the first rocks to fall. Chris was pretty sure that if he'd had to listen to the man explain why it wasn't his fault, he'd have finally gotten around to shooting him.

"Teyla, you okay back there?" Sheppard asked, as he had been every several minutes since they had found themselves in this mess.

She and Nathan were both down, hurt but not, unlike McKay, unconscious, even though Chris suspected that Nathan wished he were; his leg was broken in at least one place, maybe two.

They had very little light, most of it from the flashlights the Atlanteans carried and the flares that Chris' own team carried. Chris and Sheppard had agreed quickly that they needed to conserve anything they had, especially once they had realized that both of their communication networks were unresponsive.

"I am well, Colonel," Teyla answered, but Chris noted that her voice was a little fainter.

He held his arm up, shifting the face of his watch so he could see it in the low light; they'd been down here over four hours already. Josiah had finally noticed, according to Teyla. She was talking inside Vin's head again, which made his blood boil nearly as much as being stuck in this fucking hole was.

"They have freed your other people, Captain Larabee," she said eventually, her words more clear. "Several of them are injured – JD, as I mentioned before, but apparently Mr. Standish as well. Buck and Mr. Sanchez and Dr. Zelenka are trying now to determine the best way to free us. Dr. Zelenka believes that the debris is several meters deep around us and that it will take a while to get us out."

Of course it would, Chris thought. Damned McKay, wanting the damned power supply so much that he neglected to take into account the possible dangers of disabling the shield.

"Mr. Sanchez has suggested using explosives, but Dr. Zelenka believes that the whole structure of this plateau is too unstable now and that there is no way to predict what would happen."

Chris swiped at his forehead. "Dammit," he muttered. At least Buck was all right – and JD and Ezra. "Tell them we need air – if nothing else, see if they can get a small airway."

He turned back to the digging, ignoring the pain in his fingers, the way his skin was peeling away with each level of rock. Ignoring the pain in his shoulders and back at the stretching and effort.

"They are aware of that and they are working as quickly as they can. They would like to know if there is anything you would like for them to consider in the way of a plan?"

Despite his irritation, Chris hesitated, actually considering the suggestion.

Sheppard spoke up after a few seconds, his voice rough from the dust. "The dart. Tell them to think about the transport beam in the dart. That might be the only way to get us out of here before the air runs out." In the soft light of the flashlight, Chris saw the man turn toward him. "Any of your guys out there know how to pilot a fighter ship?"

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

"It can not be done." Zelenka glowered at him, even though his eyes were wide. "If we try to use the beam to remove the wall, it might well collapse the rest of the cave on top of them. If it does, they could be hurt even worse – killed."

Buck growled, pacing restlessly. Chris was trapped back there, as was Nathan, along with Sheppard and Teyla. With no air.

"Can we use it to get them out? It's calibrated for human life," Josiah asked calmly even as he continued to dig.

"We do not know if it will transport life through the rock," Zelenka asked, but he was distracted now, typing something into his keypad. "Damn Rodney," he muttered, his accent a little stronger. "He would be unconscious now, when we could truly use him."

Buck stopped before the wall, watching where Josiah was working, wondering how they could establish some sort of frame to support the wall where he was. There wasn't a lot of wood here, but there was some, and they could scavenge metal from pieces of the shuttles . . .

A touch to his hand and he turned to meet Vin's eyes.

"They are trying to wake the smart man," Vin said. "But he is like JD – he does not want to wake up."

Buck sighed, but reached out to ruffle the boy's hair. "Thanks. And if you get tired of being the one in the middle, the one with all the thoughts – "

He grinned, a fleeting movement of his thin lips. "It tickles. Soft, like . . . ma."

For a second, Buck was confused, thinking that the boy meant his touch. But he realized quickly that he meant the things going on in his head, the communications passing between him and Teyla. He tried to smile, but it felt wrong on his face right now. "You let me know if it seems wrong, Vin, or if she makes you feel – not right, okay?"

Vin nodded, but Buck wondered if the boy understood. If Vin would know if the things she was doing in his head were wrong. If he was confusing them with something he remembered from long ago.

He was certain right now, though, where his own priority was. Chris was in there and this contact between Vin and Teyla was his only way to get to his lover.

"Can any of you fly the dart?" Zelenka asked, drawing Buck's attention.

"Ezra's our pilot, but I suspect with that concussion, he's not going anywhere. I'm pretty decent, but I can't fit into the cockpit," Josiah sighed. "I'm guessing the drone Wraiths don't do much flying."

Zelenka shook his head, frowning. "Carson theorized that only the commanders could control the ships – the society seems very rigid – "

"I'll fly it," Buck said, not really interested in hearing about Wraith society at the moment. "What do you want to do?"

"It is not that simple," Ezra's voice called weakly from where he still sat, JD's head in his lap. "Dr. Zelenka's mental interface is not as simple as you think – it requires more assertiveness than – "

"Yeah, I heard them talking about it," he shot back, but even as he said it, he knew the censure was undeserved. "Sorry," he cut in fast, before Ezra could take offense.

"You have the assertiveness," Ezra said dryly, but he continued, "just be certain that you concentrate on the proper commands. It would be most unfortunate for the others to be reconstituted inside of rock."

"You want to do this?" Buck asked, part of him desperately hoping that Ezra did. He met the other man's eyes, studying him, seeing the will there, the desire – but not the ability.

No words needed to be said, but Ezra did sigh, his regret real.

Buck nodded another apology. "I'll try to keep them out of the planet's crust," he said, looking back to Zelenka. "'Siah, you gonna give me hand with this?"

Under normal circumstances, they would have taken time – a lot of it – for Buck to learn the intricacies of the vehicle, the subtle tricks of the mental interface, the various displays that would tell him where he was going, what he was doing, what the culling beam was doing –

"Good, Buck," Josiah's voice cut in through the headset. "You're doing great. Now – try to activate the culling beam – just for a few seconds."

"Stand the hell away," he ordered, trying to make sense of the visuals he was seeing on the inner curve of the cockpit cover, hoping Zelenka was a damned sight better at this than his friend McKay.

He felt a slow vibration, a hum that seemed to start in his belly and move up his spine as he willed the machine to disperse its beam.

"Good!" Josiah called, and he heard Zelenka say something as well, through the headset he had borrowed from Ezra. "Now – shut it off!"

He stopped thinking about it – and the physical sensations stopped as well. He sighed, relaxing a little, and felt the dart drop and heard Josiah and Zelenka both calling out warnings – and he found the right readings, bringing the ship back up to a proper altitude and just barely missing the top of the plateau, if he was interpreting the images from the instruments correctly.

"Close, Buck," Josiah said, his voice unusually tense.

"You must concentrate at all times," Zelenka chimed in, his tone anxious. "If you had hit the top of the ridge, you could have – "

"I know," he snarled, taking a deep breath to stay in control. "It won't happen again."

Josiah changed the subject quickly, his voice calm in Buck's ears. "Can you read the data screens well enough to determine life signs?" he asked.

Buck studied them for a few seconds, orienting himself to location. "Think so. The goats?" he asked, knowing what Josiah had in mind, knowing what he himself thought he should do.

He heard a noise in the background, suspected it was Vin doing what he could to object. But there were bigger issues here than the goats.

It took three times for him to dematerialize the goats and rematerialize them whole. Josiah sent Vin off to help move Ezra and JD away from the cave.

It took four more times for them to successfully get the goats through the walls of the cave, and Buck honestly felt that the first failures were due to his nervousness at how close they were to the area that had collapsed.

And the time. It was its own presence, bearing down on him even has he tried not to think about it. Tried not to hear Vin's whispers about Nathan's pain, how hard it was for the people trapped to breathe.

Tried not to think about Chris trapped and helpless.

It was the new tremors in the ground that made the decision. He would like to have had several more tests – maybe put the goats farther underground, had a little more time to work on his finesse, especially after Zelenka told the story of McKay and a woman trapped together in McKay's body.

But the readings on his various screens spiked, followed almost immediately by voices in his ears – Josiah calling for Vin, Zelenka speaking some language Buck didn't know, and Vin – Vin speaking as loudly as he could, his voice fading in and out with his fear as he said too clearly, "It's falling! The roof – get them out – they're getting hit – "

Instinct, he heard Sheppard say later, that was the thing that they, humans, shared with the Wraith. It was what drove him now, the instinct to save his lover, and his friend, and the other people trapped. He gave little conscious thought to flying the dart itself, focusing more on activating the beam and guiding it through his will to take only the life forms within the collapsing structure.

"Land, Buck!" Josiah called, but his words were muffled by background noise, the rumbling of the cave-in, the calls of Zelenka in the background, trying to get Ezra and JD clear of the danger. "Get back to the compound and put her on the ground!"

The landing was harder than he'd intended, but the dart released him immediately. He clamored out unsteadily, feeling the tremors of the collapse even this far away.

As he reached the ground, he could hear Josiah and Zelenka calling to each other, and he ran toward them, knowing they would be trying to move Ezra and JD as well. He saw Vin first, the boy moving with his unusual speed, but he slowed as Buck neared, waving behind him where Josiah was moving fast, JD in his arms. Ezra and Zelenka came after, slower, but moving. Dust rose behind them, the hill still in place but spewing dust up and out.

The ground, though, was slowing in its motion, and Buck stopped as they neared, reaching out to take JD. "I think I have them. If I'm reading the display right, all of their life signs are there. But you're gonna have to get them out."

Josiah took a deep breath, nodding, also looking back over his shoulder as he let Buck take JD. "Radek!" he called, turning to jog back to the two stragglers.

Buck didn't hear what they said, distracted by JD, who was moving in his arms, and Vin, who was tugging at his sleeve. "Let's get you two back to the base – Vin, it's okay, I'm sorry about your goats – "

"Chris?" the boy interrupted, his eyes startlingly blue. "He okay?"

Buck felt the same fear he saw in the boys' eyes, and he pulled JD close against his chest even as he met Vin's gaze. "We'll find out just as soon as we can," he answered, hoping that he was more reassuring than he felt.

Vin blinked, his lips tightening into a line of confusion and worry. He looked back at JD, one hand curling over one of JD's wrists, as much in comfort as in fear. "He can't think," he said but it was more like a whimper. "He's scared – Buck, he's scared."

"Shhhhh," Buck soothed, not certain whether it was for JD or for Vin; each seemed to grow more bothered by the situation.

But he knew Vin, knew that he would respond to JD's pain before he would even know of his own.

"It's all right, JD, you got hit in the head. You've got a concussion, we'll get you to a doctor just as soon as we can. Until then – until then, just relax. I know your head hurts, so just . . . be still and try to rest."

JD whimpered, then moaned, and Vin made a little squeaking noise of his own. "He can't think!" he repeated, and Buck took a second to understand what Vin meant – what Vin himself feared.

It took an effort to balance JD in one arm so that he could catch Vin by the shoulder, stilling him. "It's all right – no, Vin, let him know that it's all right that he can't think. It will pass. The pain in his head will pass and he will be able to think again."

Vin made a little noise, but he looked back up to Buck, still confused but open, as if he wanted to believe.

"It will pass," Buck said, keeping his voice even, letting no part of his fears show. "He can't think because of the blow to his head – the injury. As it heals, he'll be able to think again – it's all right, Vin, but you need to believe that and you need to let him know that."

Vin did, he could tell by the way Vin's eyes softened and the body in his arms relaxed, sighing before settling back into a sort of rest.

Zelenka jogged up to them, breathing heavy – he was scientist, Buck thought with a certain amusement, not a soldier.

But for a scientist, he was brave and working hard – very hard – for all of them.

"We need to get them out," he wheezed, bending over to give himself a little rest.

"You all right?" Buck asked even as he started forward, Vin at his side.

"I will live," the little man answered, reluctantly following along. "At least long enough to hear Rodney complain about this."

"He should be damned grateful you're here," Buck answered, but knew the other man was right. McKay was one of those men who thrived on a certain amount of discomfort. At least it made things amusing for those around him.

Zelenka snorted, but it was with amusement. "He will be. He just has a different way of showing his feelings."

For a second, Buck felt the anger burn, until the humor of it caught up. "Yeah," he sighed out a breath of his own, "I got one of those myself."

"So I see," Zelenka murmured. "His bark is worse than his bite, yes?"

Buck grinned, but the answer came quite unexpectedly from Vin. "Chris only bites Buck."

Buck frowned, refusing to believe the implications of the boy's comment – which was easier when he turned to look into the guileless eyes looking up at him.

Vin tilted his head, confused by whatever he saw on Buck's face. "He does," he asserted, his voice thinning with the effort. "At night, he bites – "

"That's good, Vin," Buck interrupted quickly and perhaps a little more sternly than he'd intended. "I don't think the doctor needs those details."

Vin's confusion was stark, but unlike JD, he didn't argue, simply dropping his eyes to the ground, knowing that he had done something wrong but not knowing what.

Once more, Zelenka proved his character, stepping in with an arched eyebrow for Buck, but quiet words to redirect the conversation. "I find that I often misunderstand some things in your language. Perhaps I should have asked if Captain Larabee was always so direct in his manner."

Buck had to smile at that. "Yeah, he is. You get used to it." He looked again to Vin, who was still looking at the ground. "Right, Vin? Chris is just – Chris."

Vin looked up, tentative, and Buck nodded at him, trying to apologize for his reaction. The boys had few social skills, and he knew that. Until now, meeting these new people, it hadn't occurred to him, or any of them, just how lacking the kids were. He should have been proud that Vin had had the confidence to speak at all in front of Zelenka. Should have been proud that he was catching on to the nuance of conversation so well.

Should have been aware that sex and sexuality and personal privacy – something they'd never had with the Genii - were things that they were long overdue in talking to the boys about. How in the hell had Vin known what he and Chris got up to? Not that they weren't affectionate within their own little group – they were. But the biting was strictly behind the doors of their own little cubbyhole.

Vin nodded, no words, then looked ahead to where they were nearing the compound and the dart.

Buck found his own pace increasing, and he said, "Let me get JD onto his bed – you go ahead and see if you can't get them out."

Zelenka turned off toward the dart while Buck hurried on toward their shuttle. Vin hesitated, torn, Buck noted, between JD and Chris. It made him feel good that the boy was coming to care for them. To worry for them.

"Vin!" he called, helping to make the decision. "I need for you to stay with JD – grab some water and a clean towel, we need to clean him up."

By the time he had JD on the bed, soothing his hair off of the growing knot on his forehead and out of the numerous bleeding cuts, Vin was at his side, wetting a scrap of cloth.

"Be easy with him," Buck cautioned, yet even as he said it, he knew it was unnecessary. Vin knew how to handle injuries. He squeezed the boy's shoulder then made his way out of the shuttle, passingly aware that it was a little cooler outside even if it was in the blinding sunlight.

Zelenka was at the back of the dart, one of his carry-coms – these things they called 'laptops' - on an arm, his gaze going from its screen to the dart and back. Ezra and Josiah stood to one side, Ezra leaning heavily on Josiah's arm and looking pale as held his belly. His concussion was bad, Buck could tell – Ezra hated to throw up, and Buck knew he had been.

"I can try to interface with it," Zelenka said, drawing Buck's attention, "but it would be better if you did it. The odds of them coming out as they went in are much better."

"Is there any possibility of Captain Larabee coming out more congenial?" Ezra drawled despite his evident discomfort. "If so, perhaps we should reconsider your strategy."

Zelenka snorted, answering distractedly, "We would have used it on Rodney a number of times if that were the case, I assure you."

"You sure about this?" Buck said, even as he hoisted himself back into the cockpit. He didn't really expect an answer, but he did get some little relief when the scientist grinned up at him.

"Sure? No, of course not. Certain that the odds are better this way? Most definitely."

Buck nodded, trying not to think about all the ways this could go wrong. Trying not to think about the people he had willed into this contraption coming out in pieces, or all mixed up together, or personalities trapped in the wrong bodies – it would take some serious adjusting if Chris came out in McKay's body, or Nathan's.

He wasn't ready to think about that – didn't want to jinx what he had to do here, so he tried to put it out of his mind. Tried to.

The idea of kissing McKay . . .

He sat back in the seat, letting the interface reach into his mind, and concentrated on returning the people in the containment unit to their true selves.

Voices from outside let him know that something was working – then Josiah's voice called a loud "Chris!" and Buck was out of the seat, out of the ship, running to where Josiah was crouching beside Chris' prone body, halfway aware that the others were all on the ground as well.

"It's the beam," Zelenka explained even as he too hovered over McKay, wiping at spatters of blood that covered his face. "They will come around shortly – unless they are injured from something else."

As if hearing him, there was a low groan from behind him, then a faint movement as someone – Sheppard, Buck saw, rolled slightly.

But he was beside Chris, finding his own blood and injuries to deal with.

"We need a doctor," Josiah said, moving to Nathan. "He's hurt, bad – Radek, can you – "

"Hang on," Sheppard groaned out, and Buck spared a glance to find him trying to sit. "What happened?"

Buck didn't listen to Zelenka's answer, yelling instead for Vin to bring him water and the washing rag. He felt over Chris' body, relieved first that there seemed to be nothing broken, then more relieved when his partner's body tensed as consciousness returned.

"What the fuck?" Chris mumbled, one hand flailing around his head as he tried to orient himself.

"Be still," Buck murmured, as he caught the hand and held it still. "We had to use the Wraith beam to get you out – "

"Everybody all right?" He pulled away from Buck, pushed himself to sit up even though he swayed with the effort.

Vin was there then, holding out the wet rag to Buck, even though his eyes were all for Chris.

"Everybody's alive," Buck answered, even though he wasn't completely certain about the members of the Atlantis group. "Nathan's hurt pretty bad – "

"Broken leg," Chris said, his voice a little stronger. "Need to get a doctor."

A shadow fell over them, and Buck looked up to find Sheppard. "We can fit everyone in the puddlejumper," he said grimly, his face worn. "We're gonna need help getting the injured in."

Chris was getting to his feet, his balance precarious and Buck helped him, worried at his paleness. But his partner was talking, voice clear with control. "You better check in with Carter, make sure it's okay. I'd rather keep my people here than get there and cause a problem."

"The boys and I can stay here," Buck started, but as the words left his mouth, Vin moved away from them to drop beside Teyla, who was coming around. The boy still held the container of water, and with deliberate care, he offered it to her, then reached into one of the pockets of his pants to draw out another rag which he dampened before putting into her hand. He was close to her – closer than he had been to anyone other then the members of this team.

She smiled at him, and he smiled back, and Buck felt something dark pull at him.

"Vin!" he called, then foundered for something to say as those big eyes turned to him. "Give me a hand here!"

Sheppard had stepped back, talking on his headset, presumably to Atlantis. Chris was still weaving a little, but he was doing a headcount – and he came up one short. "Where JD?" he demanded, catching Buck's arm. "He was hurt – "

"Concussion," Buck said even as Vin came near and he caught Vin by the shoulder. "Vin's gonna go tend to him while we get the others in the shuttle, aren't you, Vin."

Vin nodded, but Chris interrupted, "Should he see a doctor? If he's not here underfoot, then he's still out – Buck?"

Buck clenched his jaw, not liking this at all.

Vin eased a step away, his face taking on the stillness that Buck knew as fear.

"He's in and out, in pain. Probably gonna be like Ezra when he comes around – shaky and sick." He shook his head, knowing that Chris was right.

"Colonel Carter approved you guys for a visit," Sheppard said. "I'll bring the jumper closer."

"Wasn't quite what I had in mind when I said I wanted you to see the place," Chris said tiredly.

"Me either," Buck agreed. They moved toward where Josiah and Ezra worked with Nathan, who was coming around. "Vin, you go on up and check on JD – one of us will be there in a few minutes."

Vin nodded, glancing again to Chris before bolting away.

Buck didn't miss the look he threw to Teyla as well, or the flash of – something across his sharp features.

"Worried?" Chris said quietly.

"Don't like it," Buck answered back. "Maybe I should stay here with him – me, and Josiah. You and Ez can handle Nathan and JD, get back as soon as you can –"

"Split up?" Chris countered, and frowned. He caught Buck's upper arm once more and turned him slightly so that they were facing each other. "I don't like the idea, not now. How about we get everybody checked out – you've got some blood there too, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. We can come back here – hell, they'll be ready for us to be gone as soon as we can be."

"You all right, Chris?" Josiah called, pulling them out of the conversation.

But as they crammed their seven into the small shuttle, trying to give room to Nathan and McKay and JD, all of whom were stretched out in various degrees of pain and awareness, Buck's unease returned; Vin was crouched on the floor beside Teyla, watching her with a sort of adoration that in another time and place, Buck might have laughed off as 'puppy love'.

Now, he could think only of the ways this would hurt his boy.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

"But it's my brain – my brain – that you're talking about!"

Chris shook his head as he walked past McKay's bed, ignoring the strident whining. The man had only been conscious for minutes, and even flat on his back in a cool room, on a soft bed, with medical personnel working to take away his pain, he could still complain.

It was even harder to be sympathetic when Ezra, from a bed across the aisle, joined the battle. "Which apparently has little connection to your mouth," Standish shot back, equally as loudly. "You do understand that this is a medical facility, do you not? And that some of us are actually trying to get the rest prescribed by the doctors?"

"If you can call the barbaric methods of treatment here 'medicine'," McKay sniped back. "If I'm going to sleep, I need something to make this headache stop, then something to control this nausea – and I need to eat, I can feel my blood sugar already starting to drop – not to mention the sun burn – I have sensitive skin, and the sun and the sand – "

He droned on, but Chris was no longer listening to either of them, no longer in the room.

They had put JD in a different room, one with fewer people – not that there were many in the infirmary anyway. There were more than just the sick and injured, though; they had been greeted with a military escort, and parts of their escort were still about, watching silently and completely. Well-trained, Chris noted, almost impressed. He kept his annoyance in check, knowing that he would have done the same in their situation. Wraith-worshippers were amazingly skilled at covert operations, and under other circumstances, he would have made that a key concern in his own dealings with these people.

Buck was with JD, as was Vin, to help him when he puked; the concussion had been bad, and Dr. Keller worried a little about a possible fracture in his skull. Josiah was here as well, even though his eyes strayed toward the doors of the operating area, where Keller and her crew worked on Nathan.

Buck sat in a chair but leaned on the bed, one hand on JD's head while the other held up his own. He looked up as Chris drew near, and Chris saw the worry and the concern there.

As it had been for months now, he thought, getting deeper and stronger with each passing day.

He hadn't not seen it – it'd been damned hard to miss. He'd chosen to ignore it, thinking that Buck would let it go once they got off the damned planet. He'd chosen to ignore the quality in Buck that had drawn him to the man in the first place: his over-reaching ability to love.

"Hey, big dog," Buck said, his voice heavy with his exhaustion. "Ez settled down yet?"

Chris smiled at him even as he moved around JD's bed to stand next to where Vin knelt on its foot. "He's settled – already in a bitching match with McKay."

Vin looked up at him, his eyes even more worried and anxious than Buck's, and he didn't resist the urge to reach out and wrap his arms loosely around the boy's shoulders. Vin tensed, as he always did at any touch, but slowly relaxed, eventually leaning back against Chris.

Buck chuckled. "Suspect he may have met his match there."

"Suspect he may have met someone worse than he is," Josiah said from where he leaned against the wall. Nearby, one of their escorts snorted his amusement, sharing a friendly nod with Josiah.

"Scary thought," Chris shook his head, but only once; he still felt the after-effects of the Wraith beam.

"Chris?" Buck pushed himself up, but Chris waved one hand, almost hitting Vin in the cheek as he did.

"Just tired – 'bout like you boys are." He tilted his head, suggesting silently for Buck to sit back down.

When the other man hesitated, Chris leaned forward just enough to rest his head on top of Vin's.

As he'd expected, it soothed Buck quicker than any thing else he could have said or done.

For his part, Vin's breath caught, but he didn't pull away or even stiffen up.

Chris didn't want to think about how good it felt to just hold the boy in his arms, to find comfort in the affection and warmth that he gave and which were returned. To know that what he was giving now was small in many ways, at least to him, but so very big to Vin.

And to Buck.

He caught movement before he heard them, saw the way the soldiers straightened to a more formal 'at ease'. He started to pull away, but stopped himself. Vin did stiffen, but instead of drawing away from Chris, he pushed back against him, his hands holding onto Chris.

"It's okay," Chris murmured as Carter and Sheppard closed on them.

"Seems I owe you a debt of gratitude," the woman started without preamble even as her gaze raked over Chris and the boy he held. She stopped at the foot of the bed, out of the range of intrusion, Sheppard a step behind her and to her right.

Buck rose again, ever polite, but defensive, Chris knew.

"Think it was a joint effort," Chris said easily. "Without your Dr. Zelenka, we'd never have managed it."

"Without our Dr. McKay, you probably would never have been in that position to start with," Carter said dryly, but she tempered the words with a sort of smile. She turned her attention to Buck, extending a hand. "Samantha Carter. I understand that you're our real hero here, Mr. – Wilmington, isn't it?"

"Just Buck, ma'am," he grinned back, taking her hand. It was a sign of how tired he was, Chris noted, that he didn't bask in the glow of her attention. "Didn't do anything anyone else wouldn't have."

"Well," she nodded as their clasp broke, "I thank you. Despite how it may seem, Dr. McKay is very good at his job. He just got a little . . . over-excited. We've been looking for a zpm for quite a while."

"To power this city?" Josiah still hadn't moved, but he did straighten a little.

She met his eyes, and nodded to that as well. Honest, at least, Chris thought, but then, he'd had little doubt about that after their first meeting.

Carter blinked, but didn't mince words. "Yes, so you can see why he was a bit . . . hasty in his reaction."

Chris grinned at her choice of words. From behind them, in the other room, he could hear McKay's running commentary on the situation, sharp words about how the shield had mostly been to hide the zpm, that he had had little awareness of it being used to hold up the cave itself – the structure had appeared completely sound according to his instruments, blah blah blah . . .

"Not that I would say this in front of him," he commented softly, "but our instruments also didn't pick it up – hell, we didn't even pick up the radiation. Whoever put it in place, and for whatever reasons, it was meant to stay hidden. Makes you wonder why they left a zpm there."

He knew it wasn't a new thought for any of them; while they had been trapped in that hole, he and Sheppard had mumbled about it, around trying to dig themselves out.

"Colonel Sheppard suggested that as well," Carter acknowledged. "I'd like to send a team back tomorrow to do some more investigating."

Chris shrugged. "Not much we can do with a zpm. Perhaps we can call it a trade for your help taking care of my people."

Sheppard grinned at that, while Carter looked surprised. She hesitated, then with that same directness admitted, "If Rodney's memory of the amount of power still available in that zpm is correct, we will owe you far more than that."

"Can we get a bed or two out of it?" Buck asked. "For the night, at least? It's been a mighty long day."

"Of course!" she said quickly, and Chris smirked. This lady was as focused on her goals as any good commander was. "Forgive me, I wasn't thinking. We have more than enough room for you." She turned to Sheppard who was already speaking into his headset. "And please – you are welcome to stay as long as you need to. I understand that Dr. Keller is working on one of your men right now, and she expects that he will need to be here for at least several days. I hope that we can take that time to get to know each other?"

"A fine idea," Buck agreed, as Chris had known he would.

It was then, though, that he realized that she had not yet introduced herself to Vin – barely even looked at him or JD after the initial sweep. Wary, perhaps, worried that he and the others would not react well to any interest?

As if reading his mind, she turned to him and said, "I have made it clear that your boys are off-limits. Dr. Keller's staff was very careful in working on JD not to do anything that wasn't necessary. They did have to do some blood work – but if you wish, we will destroy all samples that we have."

For the first time, she looked at JD, her eyes softening with a sort of sympathy.

Chris looked to Buck, letting him make the decision. As he had expected, the openness was gone from the other man's face, but the hardness he had expected wasn't there. Buck met his gaze, held it for a few seconds, then sighed, scratching at his head.

"Let us think on it," he said finally, his gaze drifting to Vin. There was still worry there, and fear, but Buck smiled back when Vin smiled at him. "Colonel Carter, this is Vin. He ain't much for talking or touching," he warned even as he reached across the bed and caught one of Vin's hands, "so don't take it personal if all you get is a quick nod and a flash of his baby blues."

Which was, of course, exactly what Vin did, and Chris couldn't stop his own smile as Vin's head brushed against his chin, the tangled hair tickling a little.

"I suspect that this whole thing is overwhelming," she smiled at the boy. She started to reach out to him, then aborted the move, Buck's words sinking in. Vin was part Wraith, but not enough, or so it seemed, for the Atlanteans to be intimidated by him, not on sight. It was somewhat reassuring, giving him the impression that maybe, just maybe, they could actually find somewhere that they could be with the boys without the constant worry of someone hurting them.

Vin still flinched at the motion, and Chris tightened his hold a little, thinking that the other part of it was the boys being safe from their own demons. That wasn't going to be as easy.

The smile on Carter's face dialed back a little, as if, for the first time, it occurred to her that what she'd been told about the boys wasn't all bullshit.

"And tiring," Buck emphasized the words.

Carter took the hint. "John, would you mind – "

"Not in the least," he stepped up.

In the end, and after a mental struggle that was evident to everyone, Buck conceded to let Josiah stay with JD, as the big man was staying until Nathan was out of surgery anyway.

"Call us when Nate's out," Chris said quietly to Josiah.

"Um – that might be a little hard," the big man said, with a glance to Sheppard. "Doubt our comm system works here."

The Colonel shrugged. "Not us – it's in the design of the city. Our comm systems work, but no one else's seem to. McKay thinks it's some sort of self-defense mechanism that the Ancestors used to make certain that the city couldn't be infiltrated – they were at war, after all. We've found all sorts of built-in alarm mechanisms and things that activate without our knowledge, and that disable our own instruments. We can probably wire your system into it so that it allows it – Radek has figured out all sorts of tricks, but it'll need to wait until in the morning. For right now, a couple of our guys will be around to make sure you guys have everything you need. You can send word through them."

Buck's eyes flashed anger, but Chris was too tired to be upset by the obvious. "Guess that'll have to do, for now."

Sheppard nodded, his face sobering a little. "I'll get Radek on it in the morning."

Josiah settled into the chair beside JD's bed. "Get some sleep. I'll let you know as soon as something happens."

Chris and Buck, Vin between them, followed Sheppard through the hallways of the City of the Ancients, several escorts bringing up the rear. Chris was less impressed this time with the wonders of the city, but pleased with Buck's interest, and amused by Vin's wide-eyed wonder. They had a hard time keeping him with them – the ocean mesmerized him and it took a physical effort to pull him away from the windows, where he stared at the stars reflected in the roiling waters of the sea.

Sheppard smiled as well, commenting in his way that he'd found all the sand on their little planet about as fascinating as all the water here. He then went on to demonstrate more patience than Chris expected, showing them how to get from point to point in the strange transport mechanisms, giving them a general idea of the layout to the city, and directing them towards things they would not be able to do on their own at this point – but it was a nice effort on Sheppard's part. A nice pretense.

"Here we go," he said eventually, as he stopped before a door at the end of a long passage. There had been fewer people the farther they had moved from what Chris realized was the command building – tower? – and this hall was virtually deserted.

"Neighbors gonna be bothered by us?" he asked, letting a little smile play at his lips.

Sheppard smiled back. "We wanted to make sure you guys weren't bothered – this hall is pretty empty. Sgt. Dixon and Private Jones will be make sure nobody causes you any trouble – and they'll also make sure you get back to the infirmary okay or the mess hall. Colonel Carter had some food sent down already – come on in and I'll give you the quick tour. Some things in here, with this technology, work a little differently than what you'd expect."

It was a suite – three bedrooms off a main room, with real beds – not the modified couches they'd been accustomed to on their ship. Better – there were baths. Not just toilets – which Chris felt perversely excited about after all this time of sharing the one small one on their ship with six other males, but also a shower, and, off one of the three bathrooms, an actual bath well. The idea of sitting in water, soaking . . .

He wasn't surprised when Buck asked Sheppard how to operate the fixtures.

Sheppard grinned. "I gotta tell you, after the visits to your place, taking a shower was almost as good as – well, it was good."

"I reckon we're gonna find out," Buck breathed in an almost sexual way that made Chris grin.

Sheppard chuckled, turning his attention to Chris. "We'll make sure your men get here as Dr. Keller releases them, but if you want to get back to the infirmary – "

"I'll make sure we're all in the company of your men, Colonel," Chris said. There was no hostility in it, and Sheppard nodded his thanks.

"Just let them know if you need anything else or want to send a message to your guys. We'll get you to Sam's office in the morning for the briefing."

Chris nodded as well; they'd be planning the trip back to get the zpm, but he also had to decide how he wanted to handle the situation with his own men.

As the door closed behind the Colonel, leaving them alone, Buck took a deep breath, then cut his eyes to Chris. "A bath, Chris. A real bath, then a real bed, right here – "

"What do you think, Vin?" Chris called to the boy who once more stood at the largest window. "Wanna take a bath?"

He cut a quick look at Buck who showed a sort of exasperation – but as ever, and demonstrating just how tied he was to the boys, his lover started to chuckle, shaking his head.

For his part, Vin turned briefly from the window, frowning at the two of them before turning back.

Chris still felt amusement, but it was tempered now by tiredness and the thought of a bath – a real bath.

And having it with Buck wasn't something he would turn down if it could be arranged . . .

"Vin?" he called again. "How about some food?" He didn't have to look for it, he could smell it and it was almost as tempting as the bath. Their diet had been limited for so long that now, smelling meat that wasn't goat-like, and the possibility of real bread – cheese maybe – "Vin?"

Buck picked up the thought, walking across the large room toward an alcove that held a table covered in different bowls and plate and bottles of beverages. When he took the lid off of a serving bowl, the aroma of something spicy flooded the room and Chris thought he might get off on the smell alone.

Thankfully, it worked for Vin who quickly trotted over to join Buck, standing to one side and watching as Buck uncovered more. Twice, he lifted a hand as if to touch something, but each time, he stopped, pulling his hand back.

It took Chris through the second time to realize that this regression in behavior – the fear of taking something offered to him – was probably due to the new place, the old fears reawakened.

"It's all right," he said quietly as he stepped up behind the boy. "Nothing's changed except where we are – you're still welcome to share what we have." He slowly moved a hand to rest between Vin's shoulder blades, then pushed him gently toward the table. "Eat."

Vin looked over his shoulder and grinned just a little.

It didn't take long – they were all so tired that after the first several bites, the exhaustion hit even harder. Vin carried his plate and cup back to the window, but was convinced to lie down on one of the couches that Buck turned to face the ocean view, and the boy was asleep within minutes, curled up under a blanket Buck had retrieved from one of the smaller beds in another room. He still held a piece of bread clasped in one fist, and Chris felt a stir of his own possessiveness. Bread – he had missed bread . . .

"Bath?" Buck asked, as he eased up behind him and wrapped his arms around Chris' waist.

How he wanted one.

He leaned back against Buck, looking down at Vin then out the window at the reflection of the moon on the water, the crests of the waves as they lapped at the metal shore of the city.

"Too tired?" Buck murmured after a while, his head against Chris', his lips brushing against Chris' ear.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Maybe in the morning?"

He felt Buck smile. "Anytime you want. Shower?"

It was quicker, but it was also a wonder of its own; the feel of the water sluicing over him, the feel of Buck's hands touching him, applying soap – one that lathered, he'd almost forgotten the sweetness of it – the combination led quickly to arousal and release, his own and then Buck's,

He barely had time to appreciate the mattress before he was out, covered in Buck's familiar warmth and nothing else.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

It felt so good that Buck wasn't certain if he was actually awake or still dreaming. Warm, but not hot, soft mattress under him, pillows and Chris bracketing him.

And he was clean, still, his skin still tingling from the shower and the soap and the feel of Chris' hands sliding over him.

That memory sparked other ideas, and he ignored his reservations, knowing that if he did this just right, he'd have Chris right where he wanted him long before Chris could come up with his own reservations.

It worked, too; a few well-placed nuzzles against the side of Chris' neck, a gentle stroke down his belly to the half-hard erection, and Chris rolled slightly, enough to open himself up a little more.

He wasn't awake, but moving closer to it, so Buck touched him gently but insistently, bringing him to complete arousal before letting his fingers wander lower and back. He wanted to take Chris, claim him in the primal way brought on by this new place, these new people, this uncertain situation. By his fear.

But he hadn't thought to plan for this – too tired, apparently, to even remember to bring something to use as a lube, and getting up to find something would undoubtedly end the moment. Instead, he slid down under the bedclothes, using another method that he loved, and was soon rewarded with Chris' thrusts and the vibration of his soft grunts, then the rich flavor of the other man's pleasure as it pulsed down his throat.

Ever the romantic, the first thing Chris said as Buck slithered back up to kiss him was, "Cameras? Suspect they've bugged the place."

"Well, then, hope they enjoyed that as much as you did," he countered with a smile.

Chris stared up and him, eyes dark with left-over passion and a touch of annoyance, but he sighed instead of arguing, another thing Buck loved about him in the aftermath of orgasm.

"What time is it?" he asked, glancing over Buck's shoulder toward the window. Light streamed in, but it was muted – not that it made a difference; they weren't familiar enough with this world to know the time of day based on nature.

Buck shrugged, grinding his own erection against Chris' hip. "Time for you to return the favor."

It was almost an argument, Buck saw it in the way Chris' jaw tightened and his body coiled, ready to push out of bed. But a well-placed kiss and a murmur of need redirected the annoyance and Chris gave in with a shake of his head and the practiced touch of his hand.

Eventually, with one last furtive glance for hidden cameras, he too slid below, his mouth teasing with little nips and pinches that stirred a vague memory of Vin's comment from yesterday – a memory that was soon banished by that same skilled mouth applying itself to more sensitive flesh.

He came back to himself as Chris pushed out of the bed, reaching for his pants. He watched, appreciating the view of that fine ass disappearing behind the worn fabric and promising himself that he'd have it before this day was over.

"You get Vin, I'm gonna check on Josiah," Chris said tersely. "We never heard from him last night."

The truth of that got him going like little else would have.

They shared the bathroom, taking care of necessities and doing a quick clean-up – well, not so quick as they were both tempted anew by the abundance of water, cold and hot, before they finished dressing. Buck made his way into the main room first, checking to find Vin not on the couch and the blanket folded neatly.

"Vin?" he called, thinking that the boy had discovered the more practical attractions of water as well, and made use of one of the other baths in the suite. He poured himself a cup of something dark, and hot, and aromatic, sipping it tentatively several times before deciding that he liked it, then making his way through the suite. "Vin?" he called again.

Chris came out of the room they had shared then, dressed and tidied, and frowning when he heard Buck's call. "He was up early this morning, before light. I tucked him back in after reassuring him that everything was all right – damned nightmares. He wasn't asleep but close to it when I came back to bed."

Buck shook his head, hating that Chris was such a light sleeper, but loving that it was during his early-morning paranoid checks that he and Vin had truly gotten to know each other. Another thing they had in common, the inability to sleep for more than four hours, especially now that Vin's fears were back.

"Where is he?" Chris asked rhetorically as he started toward the food, then veered away to join Buck.

Without thinking, Buck handed him his mug, and said quickly, "It's good, but strong, and hot. Where in the hell could he have – "

But Chris was already ahead of him, searching through the other rooms, his voice more strident than Buck's.

Vin wasn't there.

Buck felt the panic begin to rise, memories of the research facility where they had found the boys sharp in his mind. "Goddamit," he snarled, as he turned toward the door.

Chris was beside him, catching him by the arm even as the doors opened, surprising them both.

The men outside weren't the two from earlier, but they were both armed and, Buck noted, wary.

He started to speak, but Chris beat him to it – which was probably a good thing, as Chris, though terse, was more polite.

"Where's Vin?" he snapped out, pulling up in front of the nearest 'escort'.

The man blinked with a little surprise, but he answered calmly, "He left with Teyla a little while ago – they were going to the infirmary."

Buck heard a low noise, realized it was from his own throat, then Chris' hand closed over his wrist.

"Colonel Carter said for us to bring you to her office whenever you're ready," the man said, still calmly, "but we can take you by the infirmary first. She said you'd want to check on your people."

"Damned straight," Chris agreed, but it was that – agreement.

Not the full-flung rage Buck himself was in.

"Teyla?" he demanded, ignoring the way Chris' fingers tightened on his wrist. "What gives her the right to walk in here and take my boy?"

The man looked up at him, but he held out one hand, as if to stop the tirade of words. "The boy seemed to be expecting her," he said. "He was already out here when she got here – we assumed that you knew."

"Well, you assumed wrong," Buck shot back, but Chris stepped forward, easing between them.

"Infirmary," he ordered, then shot a quick look over his shoulder at Buck, the message clear: calm down until we know.

It was a look Buck knew, as it was one he usually wore, directed to the other man.

The trip seemed to take twice as long as it had the night before, and even Chris' attempts to distract him with offers of the drink they were sharing didn't help any. All he could think of was Vin strapped down to a table, that damned tiny doctor poking and prodding at him – JD as well, screaming and yelling for them to stop, calling for Buck to save them –

"Stop it," Chris said quietly at one point. "Don't think it until we know for sure."

His fear spiked up another notch when they arrived at the infirmary and found Ezra's bed empty. McKay was gone as well, and Buck hurried behind Chris into the second room, the one where JD had been the night before.

And where JD was now, sitting up, Josiah on one side of him, Ezra standing and on the other, helping him with a tray of food that was on a rolling table that fit over the bed. They appeared to be discussing the foods, identifying them, aided by Keller who, while looking tired herself, was beside Ezra and smiling at his comments.

The biggest relief was to see Vin at the foot of the bed. Buck's relief was tempered, though, by the sight of Teyla beside him, her hand on his shoulder.

He exploded without a thought, the fear turning instantly to fury. "What in the hell did you think you were doing?" he yelled, storming past Chris to jerk Vin away from the woman.

All sound in the room stopped instantly, but he was more aware of Vin, staring up at him wide-eyed and terrified, trying to lift his arms even as Buck held them down, the words coming fast and hard and loud. He knew he was bigger than she was, and a small part of him was horrified that he was using the same tactics on her that Ronon had used on Vin, using his size to intimidate. "We were worried sick about Vin! What gives you the right to come into our room and take him without checking with us? Why in the hell didn't you tell us?"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide, her pretty face blank. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, not at first.

Then Vin was on his knees, clinging to Buck's legs, his head down even as his hands scrabbled at Buck's thighs, and Chris was pulling at him, JD was yelling, someone had knocked the tray off the table, and the table itself was rolling backward across the floor to slam into another bed – the one where Nathan had been sleeping –

Chaos for several minutes, that ended only when JD knelt beside Vin, holding him close, and Ezra stood protectively behind the boys, glaring at Buck. As were Teyla and several of the other uniformed Atlanteans, and the medical personnel were in the room who weren't helping Keller and Josiah try to comfort and calm a groggy and pain-addled Nathan.

And Chris.

Buck shook now, the adrenalin dissipating with the anger. He took a deep breath, trying to regain some measure of control.

Chris stepped away and released him with a final, thin-lipped nod, then turned to do something that was usually Buck's job: damage control.

"Vin?" He dropped to his own knees on the floor, ignored the glare JD was shot at him, and touched Vin's shoulder, trying to draw him away from the shelter of JD's neck. "It's okay, we were just scared. We didn't know where you were."

"You were busy," JD answered, the last word spat with enough disdain to let them all know what Chris and Buck had been doing. "Vin didn't want to bother you."

"Vin," Chris coaxed, "it's all right now, no one's going to hurt you or Teyla. Right, Buck?"

The thought was shocking enough to pull him back to the moment. "No," he croaked out, taking a step forward. "No, Vin, I'd never – that wasn't – I was just scared."

"It was my fault," Teyla finally found her voice, "and I am truly sorry. I was coming here, and Vin wanted to come as well. It did not occur to me that he had not told you. I apologize for the miscommunication."

"This telepathy," Buck said tiredly, the situation clear.

"I believe we are in need of some communication plans of our own," Ezra commented, but he had stepped back a space to lean on JD's bed, one hand on his bruised temple. "And perhaps other procedures as well."

JD's head was against Vin's, but he slowly lifted it now, to catch Buck's eyes. "You're okay now?" he asked, and the distrust in his features, the tone of the question, burned at Buck.

"Yeah," he said, his mouth dry. "I'm okay now." He looked at Teyla and nodded. "I – sorry. I didn't even think – "

"You have strong protective instincts," she nodded. "It's good the boys have you."

JD whispered something and Vin drew away from him. One of JD's hands caught on Vin's forearm, but like Ezra, his other rose to his own head, and he grimaced.

Vin pulled away from Chris to help JD get to his feet. They stumbled, and Chris and Ezra were both there, helping to get JD back into bed.

Buck watched, unsure of anything now. He was pleased to see that they had managed to get Nathan back into a sort of rest, Josiah speaking softly to him as Keller adjusted several of the machines around him.

A presence at his side drew his attention to Teyla, who looked up at him, her eyes clear and gentle. "It was my fault," she said again, more quietly. "The boys do not understand the responsibilities that come with caring for others – or with being cared for by others. It did not occur to me that in your time together, you had not established household rules."

Buck shook his head, finding the irony in it. "Hell, we haven't established a household, more like a refugee camp. We fell into habits on that planet, but with only the seven of us, there wasn't much need for rules."

She smiled at him. "Yes, it is the presence of more people that bring about the need for structure." She touched him lightly on the hand. "You should talk to them, establish some general guidelines. Vin is already quite overwhelmed by the presence of so many other people. His natural inclination is to hide. JD, however, is fascinated by everything and everyone. He has already started asking after Dr. McKay – who has invited him to his lab as soon as he is released."

Buck winced at the thought. Then frowned. "McKay invited him? He hates kids."

Teyla's smile widened. "Only the ones who do not remind him of himself at that age." She looked back towards the bed, and Buck did as well. JD rested in the pillows, talking to Ezra who nodded distractedly as he tried to settle the sheets over the boy.

Vin stood against the wall, his head down, but not pulling away from Chris or the hand on his shoulder. Their heads were close together as well, and Buck suspected that his lover was saying the right things to comfort Vin. The things he should be saying.

He shook his head, sighed, then moved to clean up the tray of food. He wasn't really surprised when Teyla helped him.

Afterwards, he stood in the middle of the floor, unsure what to do. JD was resting, Vin at his side. Ezra had moved over to sit with Nathan and Josiah, the three of them quiet – exhausted, from the look of it. Long night, Buck knew, with Nathan restless after the surgery and Josiah unwilling to leave him. That was why he had never called or come to the suite.

"Think you're all right now?" Chris said from behind him, and Buck turned, almost relieved to see that his lover was a little pissed.

He shrugged, waiting. With Chris, it wasn't ever long before the words came.

"I've got to get up to Carter's office, how about walking outside with me for a minute?"

Buck followed, knowing this was the chewing out he deserved. One of Sheppard's men made as if to follow, but a quick call from Teyla stopped him. If nothing else, his temper tantrum had earned them a little privacy.

The moved through the second room and into the actual hallway outside the infirmary, the ebb and flow of people keeping them from being truly alone but also offering them a little privacy.

"Great job, Buck," Chris said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Think that little display pretty much verified that we don't know one thing about what we're doing with those boys."

He knew he deserved some level of dressing down, but this wasn't where he planned for it to start. "Verified that we – she took Vin without even checking to see if we knew! She had no right – they have no right – what are you – "

"Settle down, Buck," Chris shook his head. "I know why it got to you – you don't think I was worried about the same thing? I was at the facility as well, I remember how we found him, what they were doing to him. But he don't know that, Buck – he's a kid, and a messed-up kid at that. You scared him enough to make him piss his pants, and at the same time, probably showed these people how much we don't know about handling these kids."

Buck glared at the other man, trying not to think about Vin on his knees, his hands clawing at Buck in an attempt to placate him. "Ain't none of their business, Chris, they ain't got no reason to be worried about what we do with the boys."

"Really? Like it wasn't any of our business to get those boys out of that facility?" His words were soft, but the message clear.

Buck blew out a breath, his arms crossing over his chest, too. "You saying that they – "

"I'm saying that right now, they're letting us stay here and they're helping us out. They're interested in the boys, but maybe not in the same way that the Genii were, or to that extent, anyway. For now, we need what they've got to offer, and we don't need for them to be thinking that it'd be better for the kids to be with them than with us." He stepped closer, one hand falling to rest on Buck's wrist. "I understand being worried, and scared to damned death. But as you like to remind me, you've got to keep a rein on that fear."

It was the touch that did it, broke up the anger as it was coming together again, reminded him of how much he cared.

"I've got to go to this meeting. While I'm there, you need to talk to Vin, help him understand why you were angry. JD, too. He's pretty upset. I'm not saying you were wrong to feel like you did, but you can't blow up that way, not until the boys understand why you're doing it. You want to keep them, you better start acting like it."

It was a kick in the pants, coming from Chris especially, but he knew the other man was right. Dammit.

"Yeah, okay." He nodded, looking to where Chris' hand was on him. "I'll work it out."

"I know," Chris said with a squeeze.

Buck watched him walk away, saw the set of his shoulders, the rigidness of his stance. He knew that his partner hadn't given him an order, but it was as close to one as Chris would give. Worse, he knew that Chris was right. It wasn't just about him, or him and Chris, but it was about the boys as well. What he'd done had been selfish, blowing off his own anger with no thought as to who got caught in the crossfire.

He might have been able to get away with it a year ago, but now – now there were two boys who could get caught in that line of fire. This was going to be tougher than he'd thought.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

"I hear there was a little disturbance in the infirmary," Carter started as soon as Chris was seated. "Everything all right?"

He smiled at her, keeping his voice polite. "We're having a few communication problems, but we'll get it sorted out. The boys aren't used to – well, a lot of things." Which was the truth. Vin especially.

At some point, he was going to have to sit down and actually find out what the differences were between the two boys; JD was certainly more accustomed to interacting with people than Vin was. Right now though, they had to get through with the Atlanteans.

"So I gather. It must be a bit of a shock, going from the responsibility of a team to the responsibility of a parent. I don't envy you – even though I sometimes feel that way myself with the mix of people here, military and academic" She smiled at him, which was the only thing that stopped him from retorting that she had no idea of the difference.

"Mining equipment?" he asked, redirecting the conversation. He hadn't been kidding around with Buck; the last thing they needed right now was for these people to question their ability to take care of the boys. It was bad enough that he was worried himself. "What do you have?"

She arched one eyebrow, but went on, ignoring his abruptness. "Truthfully? Picks and axes, and some explosives. Nothing for heavy digging. Teyla thinks there are a few planets that might still have some equipment left, and we can probably get some shipped in from our home world, but that could take months."

Chris nodded, not surprised. "Thesea?"

She smiled again. "What can we offer you in trade?"

In the end, it once more came down to his standard answer, "Let me think on it and get back to you."

She nodded, understanding, which was good.

The team congregated around Nathan's bed, the medic awake enough to be coherent. He was still in pain, but he was conscious and the drugs weren't so strong as to fog his brain too much. Josiah, fresh from a nap, sat on one side of the bed, Ezra on the other with Chris and Buck standing at the foot.

The boys were on JD's bed, JD asleep and Vin curled up on the end, staring out the window. Buck had talked to Vin, in detail, but Chris wasn't certain that the boy had understood. There were very few references points to help Vin with the issues; his exposure to the anger of others had usually been pretty simple and almost always ended up with him suffering. Chris knew that Buck had tried to explain that his reaction to Teyla had been because he had been scared for Vin, but Chris knew that Vin didn't understand the very idea that someone could worry for him. They were going to have to work hard on the boy's self-image.

Other than the seven of them, they were alone, the medical personnel and Sheppard's minders momentarily gone to other tasks, at Carter's command.

After he sketched out the initial issue, it was Josiah who volunteered the first thought.

"Mining equipment?" the big man mused, scratching a hand through his hair. Like the rest of them, he had taken advantage of the shower, and his hair was still wet. "Don't need to go home to get that – the newest stuff was at the mining facility on Siris. We were installing it when the first alerts started."

Chris squelched the spark of relief; Siris was a moon of Thesea, they would still be close.

"Any reason why they shouldn't have the equipment?" he asked, studying each of his men.

As expected, Ezra voiced the selfish concern. "What are they paying us for it?"

Before Chris could answer, Josiah said calmly, "Who are we to demand payment for it?"

Ezra glared at him over Nathan's chest. "We are the last remaining of our people, the ones who paid for that equipment to be built and –

"We don't know that we're the last," Josiah countered. "Ronon was telling me this morning that he's heard rumors that there are more Satedans who got away from the culling of his world and that he's even met some of his people. Same could be true of our world. We don't know."

Ever quick, Ezra cut in, "Well, then, if there are perhaps some of our people still alive, should we not protect their interests as well? We could open an account for the people of Thesea, where payment for the equipment and anything else these Atlanteans want can go, to be dispersed at the point where we are certain that we have found the survivors of Thesea. Until the day, we, as the administrators of the account, will draw our due salaries for our services – "

"Didn't you tell me you were up on charges for embezzling when the alerts started?" Nathan asked, his voice weak but determined.

Ezra turned his glare on the medic. "Those charges were bogus – and it is all moot now anyway – "

"This whole conversation is moot," Chris interrupted, his annoyance finally overcoming his amusement. He cut his eyes to Buck, expecting his partner to be grinning as well, but Buck's eyes were on Vin, his attention barely on the conversation they were having. "As far as I can tell, these people have the best means to defeat the Wraith that we've come across. I think we're honor-bound to help them in any way that we can. Our own people, were they here to make the decision, would give them anything they could. I know – " He stopped, catching his breath before saying more quietly, "I know my family would."

Buck looked at him now, and he drew a certain comfort from that, even though he couldn't look back. Not now.

"Hear, hear, brother," Josiah seconded.

Nathan chimed in his "Damned straight," leaving only Ezra to sigh before he said, "If we must," with a certain bitterness.

"Which brings us to the second issue," Chris continued. "Who's going to go to Siris?"

It wasn't really a decision; Nathan would be on his back for at least a month, and that was assuming that everything healed as efficiently as possible. Likewise, Ezra still suffered residuals from his own concussion.

"What about the boys?" Buck asked quietly, his first words. "If the three of us are gone, and Nathan and Ez are laid up – "

"Well," Ezra cut in a little more loudly than necessary, "I should hate to have to ask Vin to sacrifice himself this way, but someone must look after us if the three of you are gone. Do you think he would mind?"

For just an instant, Buck looked confused, but he caught it, and smiled gratefully at Ezra.

Chris looked over to see Vin's head slowly turn to look at them.

He was still scared. He had kept his distance from all of them, even JD when Buck was close to the other boy. He didn't meet anyone's eyes, hadn't done anything to draw any attention to himself, had barely been a presence in the room.

Just like he'd been those first days after the crash on the planet. Afraid they'd lock him up if he bothered them. Afraid they'd hurt him.

"Vin?" he called, lifting a hand toward him. "Could you help us out here?"

He came, but stopped out of reach, his gaze flickering from one to another of them, even as Chris explained what the needed from him. He nodded his agreement – not that he would have argued or even objected, then fled back to JD's bed as soon as the conversation turned back to the plan.

When Sheppard and Teyla came in soon there after, he huddled even lower, moving off the bed to crouch on the floor near the window itself. Chris noticed that Teyla glanced repeatedly toward him, but the one time she made an effort to move that way, Vin seemed to draw even further into himself. She frowned, but looked back to the discussion of the plan for Siris, her eyes worried.

When they broke up, Dr. Keller checking on JD and Nathan and Ezra, that Chris found the woman at his side. Her words were quiet and rushed, as though they were sharing some sort of covert operation.

"Vin does not know what he has done wrong. He is certain that he has angered both you and Buck. He believes that your reassurances have been for JD's sake. He is thinking that it would be better for JD and for all of you if he were not around. My first thought was to suggest that if he is that uncertain of your affections, he could stay here with me. I believe he already thinks of me a little as he thought of his mother. And while I would make that offer in all sincerity, I do not wish to do so if his understanding of the situation with all of you is inaccurate, which I suspect that it is."

Chris swallowed, his breath catching in his throat. "Thank you for telling me," he said as quietly as she had spoken. "His understanding is wrong. Buck was scared and he over-reacted. He tried to talk to Vin, but . . . "

She looked at him. "Vin has little understanding of relationships. His greatest emotion is fear and he has learned that it is true. While he does believe that you and Buck mean what you say, it is himself that he does not trust. He believes that he is at fault, and because he does not know what he has done to anger either of you, he does not know how to trust that he will not do it again."

It made sense. It also demonstrated how hard it was going to manage all of this. Chris sighed, but said, "I'll talk to him. He seems to respond well to me."

She nodded. "Do so quickly, before he does something foolish."

Before he could answer, she moved away and out of the room.

He looked around the room, noting that Vin stood against the wall, out of everyone's way but watched what was doing on around JD with rapt attention. Keller mentioned something about letting JD go back to the suite with Ezra and Buck, and the level of talk and enthusiasm rose, loud enough for him to hear JD ask when he could visit Dr. McKay's lab and to remind them that he had been invited.

Chris saw it then, the shadow that passed over Vin's face, and something else clicked into place. It wasn't just the transition to this strange new place, the new rules they needed to put into place, the new levels of the relationships between them and the boys, but it was also the relationship between the boys themselves. In the years they had been together, studied by the Genii, the boys had only had each other. Now though, they had the five Theseans – something that was still new and unsteady for them all. And they also had some new friends here, in Atlantis, or, at least, some new people to fascinate them.

And to confuse them.

He'd lost Adam years ago, and while that loss still cut sharply, he realized now how simple that love and that relationship had been.

He moved slowly over to stand near Vin, watched Vin's head drop lower the closer he got. He waited until he was close enough so that only Vin could hear him and he asked, "Do you understand why Buck was upset?"

Vin nodded slowly and whispered, "I did not ask you if I could leave – "

"Yes, but no, Vin. You didn't ask – you're right. Why do you think that matters?" He waited, knowing that Buck knew where he was and what he was doing.

Vin's shoulders hunched in a little. "Because you did not know where I was."

"Yes. Now – why does that matter?" He asked the same question, but the repetition would make the point.

Vin's arms tightened around his waist. "Because something could have happened and you would have lost me."

"Yes. Why does that matter?"

"Because you need me for . . " The words faded then, and Chris moved slowly to catch Vin's shoulder, bringing them face to face.

"I need you for what?" he asked. "Tell me, Vin, what do I need you for?"

Vin shivered, shaking his head. "I . . . I . . . "

"You don't know, do you. You can't know, because that's not the answer. I don't need you for anything. I don't need you for your blood or your telepathy or your Wraith genes – I don't need you for any of the things that you expect." He took a step closer, his other hand catching Vin's other shoulder. "I don't need you, Vin. I don't need JD. But I want you – both of you. Buck was angry because he was scared that something had happened to you. That we had lost you. How do you think we would feel if something did happen to you?"

Vin's head tilted, his eyes seeking out Chris.

"You saw him with JD – you can see him with JD now." Chris tilted his head toward them.

Buck was helping JD out of bed, grinning like the fool that he sometimes was. All the while his hands were on JD's body, helping him find his balance, keeping him up when he stumbled into his shoes, hugging him close.

"He feels the same way about you," Chris said quietly. "I do too. We were angry – both of us – because we thought something might have happened to you. When you get really scared, and the fear goes away, sometimes you get that way. Buck didn't mean to scare you. And we aren't mad at you now. Do you understand?"

Vin looked back to where Buck was with JD, moving slowly away from the bed and toward Nathan's bed.

"JD is special," he said softly. "Dr. McKay knows this, y'all know this. I'm just Wraith."

Chris let his fingers tighten in their hold. "You are not Wraith. We've almost gotten ourselves killed proving that to people – Dr. McKay included. You are human, but more to the point, you're mine, Vin, mine and Buck's – and I suspect Ezra and Nathan and Josiah feel pretty much the same way too. The two of you are equally as important to us. JD's smart – hell, he's probably brilliant. But there's more to a person than how smart he is, or which genes he carries or how much he talks. You're smart too – for someone who's been cooped up in a Genii facility for ten years or more, you adapted to that desert planet fast. You found the water source, found the goats, learned the lay of the land – you have a lot of intelligence of your own." He saw the slight blush and smiled a little himself. "But the more important point to this is that feelings don't have reasons. What I feel for you and what Buck feels for you and all the others feel – it's true and it's real and it doesn't have to be because you're smart or pretty or good with a gun or – anything. We were scared that we had lost you. Because we care about you."

Vin looked at him with a sort of hope that tore at Chris. He pulled Vin against him, his arms folding around the thin shoulders. "We'll talk about laying down some ground rules, okay? Make it so that we all know what we're doing so that we don't scare each other any more than we have to."

Vin nodded, his face brushing against Chris' chest. His arms crept tentatively around Chris' waist, loosely.

Over Vin's head, Chris saw Josiah nod and smile.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

It felt like days – in truth, it was only a day and a half, but they had been awake the entire time, all of them working to get the machines disassembled so that the Daedalus could pick them up before they had to be in route back to the Atlanteans' home planet.

Josiah knew he was no more over-worked than any of the others, but he had been the primary engineer taking them apart, him and Radek. He was glad the little scientist had been there with him. But even with him, he had been pulled in many directions at one time, the others not as familiar with the vagaries of the complex machinery.

He knew it would be even worse putting the big pieces back together, but at least the deadline wouldn't be as tight once the pieces were on their planet.

'Their planet'. It wasn't true, it was no more theirs than anything else. But there was a part of him that would miss the little desert world and the peace they had found there.

Where they had finally come together.

He had no doubt about why – it had been the boys. For the first time in the four years since their planet had been culled, they had had more to focus on than revenge and anger. It had been survival first, then taking care of the two orphans they had – the two victims.

It had been about living.

The change had been slow, but noticeable – the moment when Buck had stopped looking so afraid, when he had stopped finding reasons to follow Chris everywhere he went. The moment when Ezra had stopped worrying so much about what was going on out there that they didn't know and started worrying more about whether JD understood the different monetary systems of the various worlds.

The moment when Nathan had stopped worrying about converting Vin's blood into a weapon and started worrying about whether the boy was gaining weight.

The moment when Chris Larabee had smiled that first time – not a wide open, 'melt your heart' smile, but that little tug at his lips, and the softening of the hard lines around his eyes. When he had watched Vin crouch down before one the goats, petting her.

Somewhere in their time there, on that hellhole of a planet, they had stopped being the last known survivors of a Wraith attack and started being a family. A strange family – definitely non-traditional – but a family nonetheless.

"Coffee?" Zelenka set a mug of steaming brown liquid in front of him, the same beverage he had tried on Atlantis – several times. The stimulant quality to it was most welcome.

"Thanks," he grinned at the other man as he picked it up. "Nice ship."

Zelenka looked around, wary in a way that reminded Josiah of Vin. "Very big. Very . . . military."

Josiah chuckled at that; he'd learned that among these people, the scientists and the military interacted, but only because they had to. It was a relationship based on mutual need more so than true affection, even though there was some tolerance developing.

"You are very good with equipment," Zelenka commented, sitting back in his chair. "We could use someone like you on Atlantis."

He shrugged, surprised at the pleasure the compliment gave him. "You guys seem to have caught on pretty fast," he returned. "Physics are the same everywhere, I think. Hope, anyway."

That earned him a true grin. "Indeed, let us hope. It is good that there are some constants in the universe. Physics, mathematics, and caffeine – the stimulant in coffee." He held up his mug.

"To constants," Josiah returned.

They sat in silence for several seconds, both listening to the hum of the ship's big engines, the chatter of the people around them in the small mess hall.

"Rodney," Zelenka said after a while. "He is another constant – his bitching and his genius. No matter where or when, he will find something to bitch about and some problem to solve. I think he could be sitting in the heart of decadence, surrounded by beautiful women who are waiting on him hand and foot, and he would still find something to complain about – and find something to fix."

Josiah smiled, knowing that the other man was trying to make small talk. "Ezra's about the same," he commented. "He just uses more words to say things – and big words. But yes, people who can't be satisfied do seem to be a constant as well. Fortunately, they also provide us with entertainment."

"Yes, when we do not want to shoot them," Zelenka agreed. He smiled, though, his affection for the other man clear.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, until their cups were empty. Zelenka rose, taking Josiah's cup with his own to the large metal urn that kept this coffee hot, and refilled them. When he returned, he said, "Love, perhaps? I like to think that is a constant as well. Certainly human affection."

Josiah looked up at him, arching an eyebrow. "I thought you were a scientist, not a philosopher," he teased, nodding a 'thanks' as Zelenka set the cup before him.

"I think that one should always temper one's science with an understanding of the world in which it must operate," he answered as he sat down. "Science in a vacuum is, well – "

"Physics," they said together, then laughed.

"Seriously, though," Zelenka said as their amusement subsided, "it seems that your team has taken quite an interest in the boys. I gather that your team leader plans to assume responsibility for them."

Josiah shrugged. "I suppose we all will. We're all refugees – may as well travel the road together."

Zelenka studied him for a moment, then said, "Still – children, and not just any children. These two are certainly not the normal variety."

Josiah nodded in agreement. "No, but then, that might be a good thing for us. We're not the normal kind of adults, not now. Possibly not ever."

Zelenka tilted his head in a sort of acknowledgement. "What will you do?"

Josiah sipped his coffee before answering. "A good question. To be honest, we haven't talked about it; I think things are uncertain enough with being rescued and the current injuries – and now this, trying to get to the zpm." He waved his hand around in a vague gesture meant to encompass everything having to do with the Atlanteans. "I think . . . I think we all know what we are doing, even though we haven't really talked about it. Chris is our leader, and as long as he wants to lead, I suspect we'll all follow." He chuckled a little, and Zelenka looked at him, curious. "I probably phrased that badly," he said in answer to the unspoken question. "Chris can't not lead – it's not a matter of whether he wants to or not."

"Ah," Zelenka nodded, but he smiled as well. "Sheppard is much the same. He is unable not to make a decision when one is needed. I suspect that is what a leader is – someone who can not stand back when something needs to be done."

Josiah looked at his companion. "You are wise."

Zelenka grinned at him. "I blame it on philosophy."

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

It was late when they returned to Atlantis, and he sent Buck on to check on the boys and Ezra while he stopped by the infirmary to check on Nathan. Josiah was coming back with the equipment and Zelenka.

"Long day," Sheppard yawned as they walked along. "You wanna grab some chow after this?"

Chris glanced to the other man. "You my keeper tonight?"

Sheppard grinned at him. "Escort," he corrected. "Even though it hardly seems necessary. You guys seem to be pulling more than your fair share of weight. Nah, I was just thinking it might be nice to sit down and eat for a change."

The invitation was clear enough, even without the words. "Could eat," Chris agreed.

They didn't say long in the infirmary; Nathan was drowsing, almost out, so after a few words, Chris let Sheppard lead him to the mess hall.

The choices were pretty spare this time of the night, but Chris wasn't picky; he did pick up an extra piece of fruit for Buck, who would have eaten whatever was in the suite.

All of the tables were empty except for one, which was occupied by Sheppard's teammate, Ronon. Chris wasn't surprised when they headed that way, nor was he reluctant. Might as well settle this up now.

The Satedan nodded toward them, still eating as they settled in.

"Ronon's been running some trading missions with Teyla," Sheppard said, picking up his fork.

"Trading?" Chris asked. "What kind of stuff do you need?"

Sheppard poked at some green thing on his plate and answered, "Well, new foods would be welcome."

Chris shrugged and grinned. "I don't know, try living on goat meat and cactus for a while. This will seem a feast."

"Grubs and leaves," Ronon added from beside Sheppard. "Snake for variety."

Sheppard pulled a face then waved his fork as he said, "Okay, okay, I get the point. You two don't have to compete for the worst food award. I was just answering the man's question."

"Weapons," Ronon said succinctly.

Chris looked at him and nodded. "Not too many out there to compete with what you guys have already."

The Satedan nodded as he took a big bite of some sort of bread. "Numbers never hurt. Can always use more."

Chris nodded his agreement. "Always."

They ate in silence for several minutes, Chris enjoying the different tastes for the most part, until the weight of the stare drew his attention back to Ronon.

"He doesn't look Wraith, but that doesn't mean he isn't," the big man said calmly. "Some of him is."

Chris finished the mouthful he had, the said as calmly, "Most of him isn't."

They stared at each other for several seconds, until Sheppard put down his fork and held up a hand.

But Ronon spoke before the other man had a chance. "You can't make him Thesean."

Chris shrugged. "Hope to just keep him human."

Ronon nodded, then looked down at Chris' plate. "The purple stuff is like Targas root, even though they call it 'cabbage'."

Chris looked at him, then at Sheppard. "Cabbage?"

Sheppard frowned. "I'm guessing that's not a good word in this galaxy?"

Ronon looked down at his plate, but he was grinning, and Chris couldn't stop himself from smiling either.

"What?" Sheppard asked, glaring at each of them. "What does it mean?"

Before either of them had a chance to answer, Buck's voice called from behind Chris, but not to him.

"JD! Where the hell are you going?"

Chris turned in time to see the youngest of their group running towards him, a big smile on his young face. Behind him, Chris saw Buck and Ezra then Anderson, one of tonight's chaperones, and finally Vin.

"Chris! John!" The boy swept up to the table, babbling about five words a second, something about gate travel and interplanetary transport and going in the puddlejumper to the mainland with Rodney and Sheppard.

Thankfully, Buck arrived just as Chris thought his head might explode. "Slow down, JD," Buck said with a hand to JD's shoulder.

"He's been like this for the past several hours," Ezra said, but he was smiling as he dropped into the chair beside Chris. "He hardly ate dinner and Colonel Anderson suggested a late-evening snack."

"Didn't reckon on finding you here," Buck said, but he was smiling. "Kitchen still open?"

Sheppard was grinning. "Depends – what does the word 'cabbage' mean here?"

Buck blinked and beside Chris, Ezra snorted so hard he started coughing.

"Best get something to eat, boys," Chris said loudly, the order clear.

Across the table, Ronon was chuckling too. It was a deep sound, rather like a low rumble of thunder, and Chris relaxed a little more.

The table was crowded as they all gathered around, even Anderson taking a seat near Sheppard. Chris noted that the man didn't seem to be as comfortable with Ronon as Sheppard was.

It was then that he realized that Vin wasn't with them at the table.

He looked around, relieved to find the other boy at the window. But Vin wasn't staring out now, fascinated by the water; he was staring toward the table, his face drawn.

He pushed himself up and away as JD talked on about his adventures of the day, Buck and Sheppard adding their own little witticisms at the expense of various people – mostly McKay, which he knew Sheppard was mostly teasing about and Buck was mostly serious about.

Vin's eyes came up to his as he moved close, and he saw the worry and the fear. But he also saw the question, saw the way the boy was weighing him.

"You're not hungry?" Chris asked, easing into the talk.

Vin shook his head, his hair even more chaotic than usual. The water, he thought; the showers and baths and this different water were making the boy's hair different, curlier and more wild. Ezra had been trying to brush it, working on teaching the boys a certain level of hygiene now that they were in a place where they could have it, but Vin – or his hair, in this case, was resistant to it.

It needed to be cut. For the first time, he realized that right now, Vin really did have certain Wraith-like qualities. The hair, in length and shape, was very much like the bastards who sucked their life forces. It wasn't the albino white of the Wraith, but at times, like now, under the Atlantean lighting, it was close enough.

He reached out, running his hand over the top of the boy's head, trying to smooth the floating strands. "Need to get you a haircut," he said quietly.

Vin pulled away from him, as far as the wall and window would allow. "No."

It took Chris a moment to actually process the word – it was one Vin used so rarely that he thought he had misunderstood.

The boy looked at him, sad but resigned. Defiance was so rare in Vin and always accompanied by the belief that it would be punished. In the few times Chris had seen it, it had been about either JD or the goat-things, a sort of protectiveness that Vin would put himself out there for.

This time though, it was about Vin himself.

"What?" Chris asked, still too surprised to think about the sharp tone of his response.

Vin flinched, looking down at the floor even as he whispered, "No. No cutting."

"It's just hair," Chris answered. "It'll grow back. Do you want to look like a Wraith?"

Vin jerked, looking up at him, then past him to Ronon, then back. "Do I – Wraith?" he asked.

In the way that he and Vin had, he understood the boy's question, even though it wasn't clearly phrased. "A little," he answered honestly. "Not really, but if someone is looking for it, like the people here who have devices that will tell them that sort of thing, then, yeah."

Vin looked back to Ronon, one of his hands reaching to touch his hair. He clutched at a thick strand of it, twining it around his fingers, and Chris watched him think. After a time, he said, "My ma."

It was rare for Vin to mention anything of his past, and Chris was curious enough to push. "She like your hair long?"

The boy didn't look at him, still watching Ronon and still clutching at his hair. "Said it was soft."

Chris nodded, even as an ugly thought blossomed in his mind. "Vin, you do know your ma ain't coming back, right?"

The boy looked at him then, and Chris saw the knowledge in his eyes. "Don't 'member much 'bout her," he said instead. "She always played with my hair, 'specially when she's sad."

Chris swallowed, Sarah coming to mind. She'd always done the same with his hair, teasing her fingers through it when she was upset. As she had been that last night –

"Don't wanna forget her," Vin mumbled, tugging at the strands he held as if they were directly linked to his memories.

"She's in your mind, Vin, not your hair," he said slowly, but before he finished, Vin was already shaking his head.

"Them people cut it all off," he said, meaning the Genii. "They put stuff on my head and I started losing her."

'Stuff on my head' – if they'd shaved him bald, they'd probably done some sort of experiments on his brain, tried to find any connection to the Wraith, maybe even tested the telepathy. He'd have to remember to ask Nathan later.

But for now, he understood that Vin was associating the loss of his hair with losing the memories of his mother, which had been caused by whatever other things those bastards had done to his head.

"It's all right," he soothed, catching Vin's hand as it pulled harder at his hair. "Nobody's gonna do that to you again."

Vin looked up at him, still scared. "You like him?"

It was a turn in the conversation, but Chris followed it. "Looks like we're gonna be staying here for a little while," he said as a sort of answer. "Best if we try to get along." Vin tried to see around him, to Ronon, but Chris slipped a little to one side, blocking his view. And giving them just a little more privacy as he said softly, "He ain't gonna hurt you, I won't let him. But that don't mean I can't talk to him some. They need our help and we need theirs. Hey," he tugged the hand he was holding, then wormed his way into the tight fist to get Vin to release his hair, "you hear me? I ain't gonna let him or anyone else hurt you."

Vin did look up to him then. "Don't wanna forget her."

Chris pulled him close. "I know. You won't."

"You boys gonna join us?" Buck called, apparently deciding they'd had enough alone time.

"You gonna come over with me?" Chris asked.

Vin hesitated, then nodded. He did move with Chris, slowly, to the end of the table. The chatter was still on-going, JD off on another round of questions to Sheppard about the worlds they had visited so far.

Ronon was still at the table and he watched as they approached, his face unreadable. Chris wished he'd remembered to explain to Vin about never showing fear, but it was too late now, and he suspected it was a conversation that would take far more explanation than the simple statement.

He suspected it was something that this boy might never be able to do. The thought made him queasy.

Buck was looking at them, concerned, and Ezra kept flashing glances as well. Chris sat back down in his chair, holding Vin's wrist and then pulling him to stand beside him. Vin's eyes never left Ronon and Ronon's never left Vin.

Despite the fact that he was talking, Sheppard's eyes also moved from his teammate to Chris and back, signaling his awareness of the politics at play.

Sheppard was like Buck, Chris thought as he held onto Vin. He kept most of his chatter light and amusing, trying to control tensions around him. He rolled out of one story involving him and McKay and Teyla trying to survive an erupting volcano while rescuing the people of that world by using an Ancestor ship into a story about being trapped in a place where time was passing faster for him than for his teammates who were trying to get him out, while he fought a monster almost bare-handed. To his credit, even he was amused by his tales, so Chris assumed that much of what he was saying was at least exaggerated if not contrived entirely.

But the boys were fascinated, and in a little while, Vin was far more interested in Sheppard than he was in Ronon.

"So – it went away when the people ascended?" JD asked, his eyes wide. "It was created by them, in their heads?"

"That's how it seems," Sheppard grinned. He glanced to Ronon, who had one eyebrow arched in skepticism. "You were there," he said defensively.

Ronon snorted. "At the end. The rest, well . . ." He shrugged.

"It's true!" Sheppard said. "You got a better story?"

"You could tell them your bug story," Ronon said calmly.

Sheppard glared at him even as JD said, "Bug story? You got a bug story?"

Before the team leader could answer, Ronon said, "Sheppard has a bug story. Big bug story – the bug that the Wraith come from. Almost made a bug out of him."

"Really?" JD leaned forward, but Vin seemed a little uneasy again, his eyes going back to Ronon.

"And perhaps we should save that for another time," Sheppard said smoothly, smiling at JD even as he punched Ronon in the shoulder.

"But I want to hear it!" JD said excitedly. "How cool is that – getting turned into a bug! Why didn't you stay that way?"

"Ah, yeah," Sheppard said.

"Yeah, Sheppard," Ronon seconded, "why didn't you stay that way?" He smirked as Sheppard glared at him.

"I think it's late enough," Buck spoke up, and Chris agreed, rising from his chair. "Let's get cleaned up here, boys, and call it a night."

Chris reached for his plate, but it was already gone, as was Sheppard's. He looked around, not really surprised to find Vin following Buck and Ezra toward the clean up area, both trays in his hands. JD was with him, talking non-stop, his own tray bouncing precariously as he used his hands to punctuate his words.

"Good kid," Sheppard commented, getting to his feet. "He always that helpful?"

"Vin?" Chris didn't look at Ronon but knew the other man was paying attention to them. "Yeah. We've never had to ask him to do anything, he's always the first one in line for working. Kinda strange for someone who's spent so much of his life being on the wrong end of attention."

Sheppard nodded. "Teyla thinks he might be part Athosian. Her people."

Something strange swirled in Chris' stomach, a sort of combination of warmth and ice. "Why would the Genii use someone other than their own?"

Sheppard shrugged, but Ronon spoke up. "Would you mix Wraith genes with Thesean?"

It was unsettling, but as Chris met the other man's gaze, he nodded his understanding. No one in this galaxy would knowingly compromise their own people with the Wraith or even Wraith genes.

"Genii don't honor anyone but themselves," the Satedan reminded Chris. "You saw that."

And he glanced pointedly towards the boys who were coming back toward them, JD still talking, Vin behind him.

His eyes were still wary, but the open hostility toward Vin was not there.

Chris nodded his agreement. "Teyla – she's lost her people." He tried not to make it sound like an accusation, but he knew he failed.

Ronon shifted, but Sheppard said quickly and softly, "She's not looking to replace them with Vin. But she is protective of her own the same way you are."

It did explain a few things, Chris thought, but as the others came close, he caught Vin's shoulders and pulled him close, the boy's back to his chest. Buck frowned, confused, but he didn't argue as Chris said, "Thanks for the company. We'll be heading to bed now, see you in the morning."

Sheppard nodded as the others seconded the good nights, JD making little whining noises, while Chris moved ahead with Vin and out the door.

Vin didn't question him or show any reluctance, but there was a little frown on his face when they arrived first and well ahead of the others back at the suite. Chris had told himself the whole way back that it might be a good thing that Teyla was related to the boy, might give Vin some since of family and home, might be a better option than the boy living with them – as he had said all along. They were soldiers after all, fighting men. Boys needed homes, with mothers and dogs and schooling and safety and all the things that kids deserved.

She was certainly in a better place to do that than they were, she had a home here in Atlantis that was one of the most defensible places in the galaxy. And if they couldn't defend it, they could always fly it away. The boys would be safe here, JD could be with McKay, Vin could have security, hell, these people might even get over him being part Wraith, Ronon seemed more tolerant.

When the doors were closed behind them, he turned Vin to him, ready to say exactly what he had been thinking. So he was a bit surprised when the words that came out of his mouth were completely different. "Teyla might be blood, but there's more to family than that. We want you with us, but if you'd rather be with her, then you say so now." So I can start dealing with Buck's hurt feelings, and Ezra's and Josiah's and –

Vin blinked, his frown deeper. "Wraith are blood, too," he said softly. "Don't mean I want to go there."

"Teyla ain't Wraith," he said, but even as he said it, he remembered that she had some Wraith in her, which was why she could communicate with the boys. "And she thinks you've got some genes from her people."

Vin shrugged. "Nathan says we got genes from everybody in this galaxy. But don't anybody else want us with the Wraith genes. Maybe . . . maybe ain't nobody stupid as you." He said it hesitantly and with a little fear, but there was a smile playing at his lips. He was trying to make a joke.

Chris found himself grinning, relieved and happy. "Maybe not, maybe so. If she asked you to stay with her . . ."

The boy shook his head. "Wanna stay with you. That okay?"

Chris hugged him. "Yeah, it's okay." More than okay.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

 

"I don't want to." JD was sitting back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. "There's nothing interesting there. And Rodney wants me to – "

"I don't care – "

"Buck." The hand on his arm did more to calm him than Ezra's tone.

He took a deep breath, willing himself to control. It had been three days since his little outburst with Vin, and that boy was just beginning to trust him again. JD – JD was another mess waiting to happen. The way he'd been last night with Sheppard had been bad enough, idolizing the other man. Now, this thing with McKay . . .

Ezra's hand remained on his arm even as the other man said calmly, "I think we understand your desire to spend more time with Dr. McKay. But at the moment, there are other things that are of no little importance, and we need to discuss them. We need to return to the planet to determine what is important for us to keep and to bring here while we are staying here. Are you willing to entrust the care of your valuables to just anyone?"

The sneer on JD's face was so much like McKay's that Buck wanted to slap it off of him. Fortunately, Ezra must have known this, for his grip tightened even more.

"In case you forgot," the boy said coldly, "I don't have anything valuable. Everything that's important to me is right here, right now." He touched his head, his finger tapping lightly just to the left of the cluster of quickly-fading bruises. His own Wraith genes kicked in when they wanted to, but seemed more slow to operate than Vin's.

Ezra looked at him, and Buck looked away, unable to bear this new selfishness.

"So Vin is no longer important to you?" The question was quiet and gentle, more, Buck thought, a reminder than actual barb.

Buck looked back in time to see the boy blink, not expecting that. "Vin's there?" he asked, for the first time looking around.

For the first time aware that the one who had been his constant companion was absent.

"He returned with Chris first thing this morning, to help with the equipment. Dr. Zelenka is there as well, as are a number of others. Buck and I are going also, to help with the packing of our own ship and determination of what to leave and what to keep. We would like for you to join us." Ezra was still calm, his voice reasonable, as if they were discussing another visit to the mess hall.

As if they were not discussing a major change in their lives.

We can always go back, he told himself, we can always take the ship back, land it somewhere with more shade – maybe closer to one of the poles, or near one of the planet's small oceans, somewhere with more water and less heat.

But even as he thought it, he knew he was wrong. They could never go back – not so much to the place, but to the way things had been. To the place in JD's head where his world had been filled with them, Vin and the five men who had saved them.

Now, his head was filled with this wonderful new knowledge, this learning that he took in like a sponge. They could never go back, because JD would never be satisfied with what little they had truly had to offer. He knew there was something else now.

"I don't want to go back," JD insisted. "I hate that place – it's hot and nasty and there's nothing there but dirt."

It was like a slap in the face, and before he could stop himself, Buck shot back, "But you'll go when McKay goes to get the zpm, won't you."

JD's eyes widened slightly, then he said, "If Rodney goes, of course I will –"

Buck didn't hear the rest; he was up and out of the room, trying to block the fury, the rage to hit someone – JD or McKay or any other Atlantean who presented himself.

Fortunately, it was Carter who he found first, her perpetual smile faltering as she looked up at him. She slowed and stopped several feet away from him. "Mr. Wilmington," she said politely. "I was just on my way to find you – is this a bad time?"

He took a deep breath, reminding himself that it wasn't her fault, truly, it wasn't, she was a very nice lady, and she had done everything in her power to help them out. And he wondered for the first time just how bad being out of society these last years had been on him. How bad it would be on the boys. They were forgetting simple courtesies, things his mother would have corrected, things the boys' mothers never got around to teaching them.

Things they needed to teach the boys, but had to start practicing again themselves.

"Buck?" The question came from behind, and he turned to find Ezra and JD in the hallway, JD hurrying toward him, his eyes wide and so very different from the way they had looked mere moments ago.

Buck waited, still angry but regretful as well. He looked to Ezra who nodded, as if encouraging him to listen – not to over-react. Like he had with Vin and Teyla.

JD stopped several feet away, his hands twisting in an almost-Vin-like manner. "I'm sorry, Buck, I didn't mean to upset you or be selfish about it. I just – I've never met anyone like Rodney and I – I – he's so interesting and he wants to talk to me and he answers my questions and . . . " His words faded a little as the thoughts ran out.

"Kid," Buck said, scrubbing at his face with a hand, "we've done that for you too, all of us. Josiah and Ezra and Nathan have all spent time with the two of you, teaching you what you need to know to get around in this galaxy. It's getting on my nerves that you seem to be forgetting that right now. You wouldn't have the background you have, wouldn't be able to talk to McKay if Josiah and Ezra and Chris and Nathan and I hadn't taught you the things we've taught you. You saying we haven't? You saying McKay's the only one ever gave your brain any attention?"

"No, I just… Rodney knows so much more."

Damn it. Buck usually liked smart people, and he was usually amused by mouthy people. Even annoying, mouthy people. It was only now that he could understand why he detested McKay—and it had damned little to do with McKay. "Yeah, he does." He took a deep breath and said quietly, "I know he fascinates you – I'd have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to see it, JD. But feeding your brain ain't the only issue we got here. And unless something's going on I don't know about, he ain't gonna be responsible for making sure you got clean clothes to wear, or a place to stay, or even food to eat. We want you with us – we want you and we're ready to take care of you. But you gotta give us something too, starting with a little respect. We're not asking for much here, just an afternoon of you coming back to the planet with us to get our stuff together."

JD looked down at his scuffed and ragged shoes, twisting his hands. "I know. I'm sorry."

He crouched down so that he was looking up into JD's eyes and asked pointedly, "Are you sorry? Really, JD?"

The brown eyes widened more, no hint of a lie or a scam. "Yes, I am," JD answered, but there was a tremor in his voice. "I've never – I don't know how to be what you want, Buck – or how to . . . how to . . . Don't leave me!"

Then he was crying, the tears and sobs of a twelve year old boy, and every protective instinct Buck had kicked into place.

He was passingly aware of Ezra and Carter moving closer together and then out of the way, but he was more aware of the way JD was clung him, desperate and afraid and so very different from the little brat he'd been earlier.

When JD could talk, Buck pushed back just enough to look him in the eyes. It required wiping at the tears that still dripped over the long lashes, which he did as he said, "We won't leave you, not as long as you want to come with us. But it's getting right confusing. You don't want to talk to us anymore. You don't want to be with us. I know you're excited about learning all this new stuff and meeting these new people – hell, we are too. But we ain't ignoring each other in the process. We still have to stick together."

JD nodded, sliding back up against Buck's chest. "Can we go see Vin?" he asked.

Later, as Ezra took JD up to see Nathan before heading on to the jumper bay, Buck turned his attention back to Carter who waited for him. "Sorry about that," he smiled, thinking that once again, they'd given the Atlanteans quite a show of how inept they were at this whole parenting thing.

But Carter merely shrugged. "I have to admit, I would never have thought Rodney capable of dealing with a child himself – he's not known for his patience."

Buck chuckled. "So I've heard. But he seems to have gotten to JD – we can't get him to do anything without an argument and he's hardly acknowledged Vin's presence since he left your infirmary."

Carter frowned, then said, "It's not my place to give advice on this, but you might talk to Dr. Baines. You're taking on a lot with those two boys, some of it starting at a deficit. They don't seem to know a lot about dealing with people. And you don't know a lot about parenting – which is not a criticism, just a statement of fact."

Before he could answer one way or another, she rushed on. "Now, the reason I actually came here – are you interested in staying here for several weeks? Because if you are, we would like to schedule in some interview sessions for members of your team, to learn more about the worlds that you know about."

Sucking us dry, he thought, but he tried not to let that part show on his face. Instead, he answered, "I'll have to talk it over with Chris, but I don't see why it'd be that much of a problem."

They chatted some more as she walked part of the way with him – and his escort – to the jumper bay. But as they came to the intersection where she broke off, she paused and turned to him. "Dr. McKay is, at heart, a good man. I am certain that it is not his intent to come between you and JD."

Buck nodded. "I'll try to bear that in mind the next time I feel the urge to rip his head off."

She actually laughed at that as she turned to walk away.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

Chris found his partner leaning against one of the big rocks that had marked the far end of the compound – back when there had been a compound. Had it only been three days since Josiah and Zelenka had arrived with the mining equipment? Three days since they had cleared everything around the ship and given her a test run, to make certain she was, indeed, in working order?

Josiah looked like he'd been at it for weeks, his face lined with exhaustion, dark circles under his eyes. But he smiled a lot, praised this new 'coffee-drink', and went right on ahead, moving between the their ship and the caves, to keep things operating.

They'd spent today – the afternoon, anyway, packing up everything they wanted to keep, storing things away, getting the seats properly remounted in their moorings, and getting ready to leave. With Sheppard and Teyla's warnings still fresh in his mind, he'd made certain they carried nothing from the planet that could possibly carry a transmitter – no trinkets of any kind. His people he was less concerned about; after what had happened to Thesea, they had little interest in reminders of other peoples who had been destroyed by the Wraith. The boys were a different story, though; new to the whole idea of possessing things, they had secreted away little objects here and there and it had taken a thorough search of the ship and almost everything in it to make certain that they hadn't forgotten about something.

Surprisingly, Vin had been the one most reluctant to part with his treasures, and Chris had found it difficult to force the issue. It had torn at him when Vin had handed him one little rock, white and glittering with some crystalline formation that seemed so common Chris didn't even notice it any more. He did notice the faint tremor in the boy's hand and the first small tears slipping from the corners of Vin's eyes.

The rock was nothing, really, but it was something to Vin, something he'd never had before – something of his own. He'd taken it, pretending not to see the boy's pain, and when Vin had turned to pick up a few other things to toss into the refuse hole, he'd slipped the rock into his pocket.

Finding McKay hadn't been difficult, just a matter of looking for the greatest flurry of activity.

"Do you have your scanning equipment?" he asked with no preamble when he finally had the man's attention.

"Why? You find something else?" The scientist's eyes were wide with interest.

Chris shook his head. "I want to check some of the things the boys want to take, that's all, nothing major."

McKay frowned at him. "JD said that there's nothing here – "

"JD isn't the only boy we have," Chris cut in brusquely, trying to remember that it was good that McKay had taken an interest in one of the boys. Good.

McKay rolled his eyes, but gestured toward several pieces of equipment on the far end of the temporary table they were using. "Carrick!" he called, his attention already back on his own work. "Go with Captain Larabee here and check out whatever it is that he wants you to." He didn't even look up to see if his command was being carried out, already dismissing them in his mind.

But as Chris started away, McKay said more quietly, "JD mentioned something about those creatures – the goat-things."

Chris stopped but didn't turn back. "What about them?"

"JD seems to think of them as pets, which I suspect Vin does as well, probably even more than JD. Check with Hampton in Zoology – they're always looking for new species here to study. Maybe he's got room in his zoo for a couple of the goat-things. Carrick!" he called, even though the man was right beside him. "Get going, man, we don't have all day – and get Dr. Hampton on the line for Captain Larabee, tell him it was my suggestion. Go, go!"

Chris had been genuinely moved, more so when Sheppard came up behind McKay. "Yeah, Rodney's probably allergic but we can make room. He still misses his dog that died when he was twelve."

"It was good dog! A great dog! And if you—" Chris had left them to their bickering, amused and relieved that he could maybe give Vin back some of the objects that seemed to mean even more, now. It'd be okay.

Vin had made no complaint when his possessions were discarded in the hole they had dug, though, and Chris had no intention of telling him he could keep something until McKay cleared it. Vin understood the danger, better than JD. Of course, he had been the one most recently reminded of the hatred of the Wraith.

Hampton had been excited at the possibility of the new pets and promised to get several of his people on the next jumper to the planet. Chris tried not to be hopeful, but the idea of causing Vin to smile warmed him. He knew Buck would be excited at the idea as well. Might even keep him from throttling McKay – for a little while, anyway.

"Buck?" he called, frowning as he moved closer. "You okay?"

Buck didn't turn, hardly moved other than a spare shrug of his shoulders. "Just thinkin'."

Chris braced himself; it was rarely good when Buck was thinking. "'Bout what?"

"If I'm being stupid," he said after a while. He was still looking out over the desert, his eyes squinting in the brightness. "If you were right about the boys needing more than we can give."

A very small part of him was amused at this; how like Buck to finally heed advice – far too late. Another small part of him wondered with a certain disbelief at how he got himself into these things, because he knew that he was going to about to argue exactly the opposite of what he had argued to begin with – and he was going to be arguing against his own sense of reason, which he hated more than anything else.

But the biggest part of him knew that the one person he cared for more than any other still living was hurting, and he could not, would not be a party to that. Even if it meant going against himself.

"Well," he said, taking up a position beside the other man, "thinking never has been your strong suit." It was an old joke between them, and he was relieved to see the slight tilt of Buck's lips it earned him. "Why are you thinking about it now?" He didn't mean it as a rebuke, and he suspected he knew the answer. But he needed for Buck to get to it as well. The issue wasn't their qualifications for the job – never had been. They didn't have any, but that hadn't stopped Buck or any of the others – himself included – from deciding to go on with it anyway.

The issue was somewhere in how they were all gonna adapt to having choices.

"I can't seem to do anything but be angry with them – and it's not even their fault. They don't know any better, but – it still scares me."

He couldn't stop himself, chuckling before he thought. But memories came too, from a past that still hurt. "I know how you feel. Felt that every minute with Adam, especially those last couple of years, when he was walking and talking and into every damned thing he could get his little hands on."

Buck shifted beside him, and he knew what his partner was going to do, what he was going to say – they'd played this game for four years now. He held up a hand, catching Buck's as it reached up and holding it tight. "JD reminds me a lot of Adam – stubborn because he's so curious, wanting to know and wanting to know now. Wanting it all. And you want to give it to him, but in pieces he can manage, pieces he can learn how to handle."

Buck's fingers curled around his. "Yeah," he said, his voice rough. "He don't want it that way, though."

"No, 'cause he can't see the danger in it. Until it's too late. Maybe that's why McKay likes him so much – they both have the same need to have it all now, to know everything now." He closed his eyes, finding that right now, he didn't resent the heat so much. "And that, that is why he needs us. Why he needs you."

Buck frowned, and Chris smiled again.

"I don't follow you at all on that," Buck finally muttered. "Seems he needs McKay to give him all that knowledge he wants, all those opportunities."

"Yeah," Chris agreed dryly. "That opportunity to crash a planet down on his head because he's more excited about the next big discovery than he is about what it might be doing on the planet. Just think of it – JD and McKay together could probably drive each other into a curiosity-fit that would destroy an entire solar system."

He waited, and it wasn't too long before Buck chuckled. "So our job is to teach the boys to think before they act?"

Chris shrugged. "Our job is to teach the boys the things they ain't gonna learn anywhere else. And it means we're gonna end up hurting them and them hurting us, and all of us learning to apologize a damnsight more than we ever wanted to." He rolled his head over to look at the other man, gripping his fingers tighter. "If it were easy, everybody'd do it."

Another old joke, but this one, too, got a smile. "I think the others are with us," Buck said, leaning a little more on the rock at his back. "Know Nathan is, and Ezra. Can't imagine Josiah wouldn't be, he's as fond of the boys as I am."

"We're all in it together, I reckon," Chris agreed. "But 'spect we're gonna need to talk about it, and probably pretty soon."

"Not sure if Atlantis is where we need to be," Buck said, and Chris heard the first note of hostility in the other man's voice.

"Nobody's said we're staying there, have they? Nobody's asked me, anyway. You heard different?"

Buck finally turned and looked at him, his dark blue eyes hard in the sun light. "Ain't many places where JD's gonna find somebody smart enough to give him what he's getting now."

Chris tilted his head. "Think he's already found five of us who are giving him more than he knows what to do with. You're thinking too much."

Buck didn't say anything, but the hardness faded a bit. "Where's Vin?" he asked, pushing himself off the rock.

"Looking for his goats. They had to move after the cave-in and he's been trying to make sure they're okay."

Buck shook his head at that, but he was grinning. "That boy's all heart, ain't it."

Chris let himself be pulled up and into Buck's arms. "Takes after you," he whispered, just before his lips closed on Buck's.

They stood for a few minutes, appreciating each other, before Chris brought up the subject that had brought him here. "Speaking of all heart, I'm gonna blow a hole in your dislike of McKay."

Buck snorted, but backed up a little so he could look at Chris.

Chris grinned as he went on. "McKay suggested a way to get a couple of Vin's pets back to Atlantis. For a while longer, he can be around them, probably helping the zoologists there study them."

Buck frowned, the lines aging him a little more. "McKay suggested that? Why?"

Chris used one finger to push some of Buck's fallen bangs out of his eyes. "Yeah. And he loaned me one of his guys to check some of the stuff the boys have from here, some things they seem to want to keep."

"JD? He's has something from here he wants?" Buck looked so hopeful that Chris almost didn't have the heart to answer.

"Well, more Vin than JD, but I suspect that JD has a few things as well." Buck's enthusiasm dampened a little, but he didn't pull any farther away.

"McKay did that for Vin? Or for you?"

Chris snorted. "You think McKay would do anything for me?"

That got the grin he'd been working for.

They didn't do much more than stand and hold each other, Chris giving Buck the reassurance he so rarely needed. It wasn't long, though, before he heard the nearby sound of movement, closer than he was happy with.

Buck either heard it too, or felt his tension, for he pulled away quickly, and turned as Chris did, to find Vin there, one of the goats at his side.

He studied them, his head cocked to one side and his face scrunched. "Why?" he asked, his hand falling to the top of the furry head at his hip.

"Why what?" Chris asked.

But it was Buck who understood; he took a deep breath and stepped closer to Vin. "That ain't an easy thing to answer," he said kindly, his hands sliding into his pockets. "I guess if you'd had a more normal life, you'd find it a little easier to understand, but there are things that happen between adults that are, well, private, things that might be natural – same as with the goats and other animals, but that we humans just don't do in front of each other. Or talk about with people we don't know well."

Vin's face scrunched even more, and Chris couldn't blame him; he. He was confused himself, not understanding this conversation at all. He looked at Buck, not happy to see Buck looking at him, wary and a little unsure.

"Seems that the boys have had some . . . well, seems they know a little 'bout what we get up to in our room, Chris," Buck said as a sort of explanation. "Vin made a mention the other day about that little thing that you like to do sometimes, and he didn't understand why I shut the conversation down."

Chris felt a vague and growing sense of dread as a suspicion started to grow.

"Goats bite," Vin said flatly. "Why is it bad?"

The blood flooded his face so quickly that he thought his head might explode. "How did you – "

"'Spect it has something with that new wireless connection I found when I was putting the cabin back in order – you know anything about that, Vin?" Buck asked, looking at the boy.

Some of Chris anger ebbed and he saw a sort of comprehension flash across Vin's face. "JD said it was for security," he mumbled. "I . . . wanted you to be all right. In the night."

Buck nodded, and Chris thought about the words for a minute. "You bugged our rooms to make sure we were all right?" he said, hearing the heat in his own voice, then seeing its effect as Vin jerked slightly.

"I . . . in the place," he said, his words came faster now, "they watched us. JD said it was to make sure nothing happened. I only wanted – we wanted to be sure – "

"It's nice of you to worry, Vin," Buck interrupted as his hand fell to Chris' shoulder. "But I think we're gonna need to talk about this. There are different ways to make sure people are all right when you can't see them. Using the ship's internal monitors – well, it's not very nice."

Vin grew more agitated and Chris took a deep breath, getting his control back. They hadn't been spying on them – not in the way that he would have at their age. Hell, knowing Vin, it was exactly what he said – the boy had been worried. He didn't sleep well, and he'd probably awakened and worried that something had happened – his world had been so insecure for so long that it only made sense he would want reassurance. JD had provided it for him – a way to see that they were all still there, and still safe. That he hadn't been abandoned.

In one way, it should have been a compliment, Chris knew. Vin trusted them enough to worry that they would be gone.

"It's okay, Vin," Buck said, his voice soft and calm, "this ain't something to worry on right now." Buck took a step, moving closer to Chris. It was then that Chris realized he had already taken a step forward on his own, maybe two – far enough to make the goat bolt away and Vin step farther back. "I think we need to try to explain about . . . well, privacy, I guess."

Privacy.

"How about embarrassment?" Chris shot back, but he tried to keep a rein on his temper. "He been talking in front of – oh, hell, why else would you have to shut it down?" His head pounded more now, and he felt a little dizzy. The idea that these people they barely knew now knew more about them than he wanted – more about him -

"Chris." Buck's voice was low, his grip tighter. "How in the hell can you explain privacy to kids who ain't never had it? You heard him – he thought the way the Genii watched him was for his protection, to make sure he was safe. You know better than that – but he don't."

The words had the intended effect, reminding him of exactly how little the boys knew. They barely knew about the right to say 'no' to people touching them, invading their space – they never refused Nathan's holds on their arms or legs or any other part of their bodies, even when it was clear that they didn't want it. Especially Vin.

And sex . . . .

He felt queasy, wondering about what the boys really had suffered there, in that place where they couldn't fight, where horrible things were done to them . . .

"It's not bad, Vin," Buck said, his voice pitched low and gentle, "but what you saw at night, what you saw me and Chris do when we were alone, well, it's not something that we talk about. Soon, you, me, JD, and Chris, and maybe some of the others, need to sit down and talk about it, set up some rules and explain when we need to have them. Right now though, it'd be best if you didn't say anything about what Chris and I get up to in our room when it's just the two of us, okay?"

Chris looked up, catching Vin's gaze as it cut to him. He saw it there, more confusion, fear, and a little desperation. Yeah, they had bitten off a lot, thinking they could help these boys – these boys who didn't even have the basic social skills.

"I'm not mad," he said, taking a deep breath to clear his head. "But Buck's right – be best if you didn't say anything about – what you saw."

Vin nodded, but he took another step back before darting over toward the goat – then both of them ran. Away.

Chris sighed, and Buck said quietly, "Think we can get one of the others to have that conversation? Nathan maybe?"

Chris smiled at the thought, then shook his head. "With our luck, they'd end up having that conversation with Ezra."

Buck's fingers tightened slightly before sliding off to rub over his shoulders. "Oh, that'd mess 'em up even worse."

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;

They had spent about an hour in the bath, enjoying the water and each other. After the past several days back on their planet – M7934 according to the Atlanteans, Sandflea according to his own team, the water was a thrill all over again.

Neither of them noticed the passage of time nor really thought about it. Not until later, as Buck was getting the bed ready and Chris walked through the suite to settle it for the night.

Vin was pacing. Not the way Chris himself did, long strides from one side of the room to another, but in his careful way, a few steps to one window where he would stand for a minute or so, then a few steps to another one, then a few steps to the center of the room, then more steps to stop in front of the door to Chris and Buck's room.

He wouldn't knock or do anything to disturb them, but he was there, staring at the door, when Chris opened it to walk out.

"Something wrong?" Chris asked, frowning. He glanced around, past the blue eyes that looked up at him, and knew. "Where's JD?"

Vin didn't need to speak; he answered the question by glancing to the door.

Chris stiffened, not needing to look at a clock to know it was late. "McKay?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"What about him?" Buck asked, and Chris winced. Buck had just reached a sort of acceptance about the conversation from earlier today.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Chris said. "I'll handle it. How about you and Vin rustle us up a snack?"

"Where's JD?" Buck asked, but the answer came to him as the words left his mouth.

"Don't worry about it," Chris hurried, moving back toward their bedroom. He touched Buck's arm as he moved past. "We still need to have that talk about the rules, right?"

He knew Buck wasn't happy, so he wasn't surprised when his lover followed him into the room. But he spoke first even as he pulled on the uniform he had stripped off just a little while ago. "Don't worry about it, Buck. We'll get it all settled as soon as we can. For now, you keep Vin from worrying anymore than he already is and I'll get JD back."

"Well, if you find the chance to shoot McKay, don't let any worries about me stop you," Buck snarled. It didn't carry the hostility from earlier in the day though, maybe because of the sex they had just had or possibly because of what McKay had offered earlier, for Vin.

But Chris knew better than to trust his partner's calm mood. "I'll bear that in mind," he grinned, stepping into his boots. "Back soon."

He had no idea where McKay was, but he knew how to find out. As he stepped through the doors of the suite into the hallway, he was relieved to see that tonight's escorts were familiar faces. "Sergeant Dixon, I need to get to Dr. McKay – I assume he is in his lab?"

Dixon stood straighter, and he was polite as he said, "I'm sorry, Captain, but the labs are off limits to visitors."

Chris stood straighter himself, using his best command tone. "One of my boys is with McKay now – hopefully in his lab, because if that man has my boy anywhere else, he won't live until morning. So I suggest you get me to his lab or get me in touch with him as quickly as possible."

Dixon blinked, but gave nothing else away. "Just let me – " he reached to his headset, pressing the button that let him communicate with his people.

He heard McKay within seconds, the man's voice loud and irritated. "What? I'm in the middle of – "

"I want my son back!" Chris called, knowing the mics were sensitive enough to pick it up. "Send him back to his quarters now!"

"Is that – Larabee?" McKay's voice rose as well and Dixon winced at the volume. After a second of hesitation, he pulled the comm unit from his head and extended it toward Chris, tilting his head to one side as if that would return his hearing.

Larabee nodded even has he took the unit and held it in place. "Bring JD back here," he said flatly.

"I'm in the middle of – what time is it – oh, I didn't even – " His words faded a little and Chris could hear a lot of movement and chatter in the background, JD's voice blending in. "Sorry, I didn't realize it was so late. We're in the middle of a small crisis, one of the other teams met up with a new piece of technology – are you certain he can't stay?"

Chris blinked and frowned, pulling the comm unit away a little bit to look at it. Dixon was doing the same.

"He's a kid, McKay," he said slowly. "And yes, it is late. Get him back here."

"Well," the other man sighed, and Chris had the sense of an over-grown adolescent who'd just been told to come in for the night. "You're going to have to come get him. I really don't have anyone who can stop what they're doing – "

"No, I can't come get him," Chris shot back brusquely. "Apparently the boys are welcome in places the rest of us aren't."

"What? You mean – dammit! Sheppard!" He yelled so loudly that Chris did jerk the unit away, rubbing at his ear. Dixon smiled sympathetically.

"What the hell do you mean they can't come here," McKay was still yelling. "Well, of course they should have clearance – there's no danger!"

A new voice chimed in. "Captain Larabee?" Sheppard, with a pitch that let Chris know he was grinning. "Seems that you're clear to come on down – if you'll return the unit to Dixon, I'll give him the orders."

Dixon had already heard and was smiling as he took the unit back.

It wasn't a long trip, straight down into the bottom of the city, which made Chris wonder about the design of the place. They walked down a wide corridor that was full of moving people even though it was late a night even by the standards here.

"One of the reconn teams ran into trouble on one of the planets," Dixon explained as they made their way along. "Dr. McKay and his people are trying to figure out how to get them out."

"Hostiles?" Chris asked, even though he suspected he wouldn't get a clear answer.

"Some sort of machine that won't let them go," Dixon answered. "This galaxy is a little weird."

Chris glanced at him, defensive, then caught himself. "Yeah," he agreed. "We've come up with all sorts of ways to try to survive the Wraith."

Dixon didn't have a chance to answer, as they were at the door of a large room with many people – and McKay calling loudly from within. "No, I don't think it's a good idea to randomly press buttons – Sheppard, stop that!"

A ripple of light in various colors pulsed around the room, momentarily disorienting Chris. He moved when he heard JD's laugh followed by McKay's loud squawk.

"Great – that's just wonderful! You're dead, Sheppard – are you happy? Now get out of my way, I have work to do!"

They thread their way through people to get to where McKay was sitting in the center of the room, his fingers flying over the keyboard even as he looked at the object sitting in the center of the table.

Before Chris could ask, JD looked up and grinned. "A replica!" he announced, grinning as though it were a game. "We're trying to turn it off."

Chris nodded, but his attention was on the device itself. "You don't want to do that," he said, looking to Sheppard.

The other man stiffened, all good humor gone. "What is it?" he asked, and Chris noticed that the sound around them lessened some.

"Before they were culled, the Doane designed as number of devices like this – we call them trick-traps," Chris explained, stepping to one side to study it from a different angle. "Is this an exact replication?"

"As exact as we could get," a new voice spoke up, and Chris recognized Zelenka, the little man who had already proved himself. "What is it missing?"

"You probably need to get Josiah in here, he's better with this than I am, but if you actually cut power to it, it'll trigger a self-destruct mechanism. I suspect that you already know the heaving shielding in the bottom is to protect against radiation?"

"We'd guessed something like that," Sheppard acknowledged even as he and almost everyone else around took a step back – as if that would help.

Chris nodded, moving another step to the side. "There's a switch on it somewhere that will serve as the trigger to shut off the incarceration beam – you lose many men?"

Sheppard's face was grim now and he looked at Dixon as he answered quietly, "Not yet. Lorne had enough sense to throw a scanner through it before letting anyone try it."

"Bright," Chris agreed. "Probably fried it pretty good."

"So – this is a device to kill Wraith?" McKay asked, picking up the point quickly.

"It's a trap," Chris explained even as he studied it. "It has a sensor to register life signs over a certain size. The Doane would set traps – I'm guessing this was in a cave or some other place where your people were drawn by – what, radio greetings?"

Sheppard glanced to McKay. "Yeah, something exactly like that."

"We'll teach you the code words," Chris offered. "The Doane used them to draw the Wraith in. Once they were inside, the beam activated, trapping them. If they try to shut it off, it self-destructs and takes out half the planet. The Doane set a lot of them up, mostly on deserted planets and moons, and they let the rest of us know the coordinates and the key-codes to identify them. It worked for a while, until the Wraith found the Doane homeworld. We haven't been able to figure out how to replicate the trigger-traps and to be honest, we really haven't had the time." He leaned in closer, extending one hand slowly. "There, I think." He touched a plate at the bottom of the device. "There's probably a panel at this point that's activated by pressure. Like I said, Josiah can tell you more than I can. Inside that panel will be two switches and two buttons. Don't touch the switches – the Wraith always go for them, always. It's one of the buttons, usually the red one."

Sheppard and McKay exchanged another glance, then Sheppard asked, "Can we talk to Josiah?"

Chris shrugged. "I would." He frowned. "I'd think Ronon would know this – the Satedans and the Doanee worked together on some of these things."

Shepphard was reaching for his headset, McKay already back to his monitor with JD leaning over his shoulder.

"Ronon's with Teyla off-world," Sheppard said. "Anderson? Get Mr. Sanchez for me, tell him it's an emergency." He looked back to Chris and continued, "They're not due back until tomorrow, some trading mission that has rituals only Teyla and Ronon seem to understand – yeah, tell him I've got his boss here with me."

"Thanks," Dixon said quietly to Chris. "I got friends on that team that's trapped."

Chris nodded to him, then called out, "JD, let's go."

The boy looked up at him, wide-eyed. "But I have – "

"To go," Chris said flatly. "Now."

JD stiffened, his lips thinning into a sort of defiance. But as he started to object, McKay muttered, "It's late, kid, and I've got a lot of work to do. Get some sleep – we'll pick this up in the morning."

JD seemed to deflate right there. "But I don't want to," he said petulantly.

McKay didn't even spare him a glance, typing as he said, "If you want to come back tomorrow, you go now. Radek! Did you get the results on the spectrometer analysis yet?"

JD sighed, not happy, but he stepped over the Chris. "Let's go," he muttered, walking past him as if he weren't there.

Dixon glanced at Chris, but didn't say anything, even though there was a little smile on his face.

"Larabee!" Sheppard called as they neared the door. "You guys think you can make it around this place on your own?"

Chris looked back, meeting the man's gaze. "We've been wiping our own asses for years, Sheppard," he shot back, but he grinned.

Sheppard did the same. "Dixon, once you get these guys back to their quarters, get Sanchez down here, then you guys get some sleep. Be ready in case these new guys get lost tomorrow."

Dixon laughed. "Yes, sir."

As they walked into the hallway, JD frowned, but before he could ask, Chris took him by the shoulder and said, "Don't you ever make me come back down here again, do you understand?"

The boy was wise enough not to argue this time.

*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*&amp;*

"You all right?" Buck asked for about the sixth time. "You need anything – leg okay?"

Nathan grimaced, more at the question than in pain. He glared at the other man, trying to be irritated, but he couldn't. It was such a relief to be out of the infirmary that he would have been happy if Buck was jumping up and down on the bed and singing one of his bawdy songs. "This payback, Buck? If so, you've got a long way to go – it ain't easy keeping you boys outta trouble and pain and if I have to hover over you like you're hovering over me now, I ain't gonna stop."

Buck laughed, but his hand was light as it slapped at Nathan's shoulder. "Glad to have you here, Nate."

They were in the suite that the Atlanteans had provided, a big place that looked out onto the ocean from almost all the windows. He was in one of the bedrooms off the main room, where he would most likely be for a while – with his own bathroom and a large enough bed to let him move around some but not too much. Josiah and Ezra were in smaller units to either side of this one – little places of their own. It was an odd feeling to be in here alone, and he was still having a little trouble with all the silence and solitude.

Chris' head appeared in the doorway before Buck got there, and he said quietly, "You two got a minute?"

Nathan chuckled as he answered, "I ain't got no plans."

Chris nodded, the corners of his lips twitching, but his voice was flat as he continued, "Need to have a group meeting – you mind if we do it here? Be easier than getting you in the main room."

Nathan shrugged, nodded his agreement even as he noted the flicker of concern on Buck's face.

They came in quickly and with a sense of joy and celebration that Nathan had almost forgotten his friends could feel – even Ezra smiled as he carried a beverage mug before him, his uniform a little less formal than usual, his bruises less stark. JD was laughing, Josiah was chuckling, the atmosphere was contagious.

And why shouldn't it be, Nathan thought. They were no longer stranded, they'd all had several days of good food and water and baths and clean – truly clean – clothes and surroundings. And real medical treatment by a real doctor with real medicines and equipment.

Several days to relax and collect themselves – which meant, he realized, that it was time for Larabee's sense of purpose to kick in and demand that they make a plan.

Which was why, while six of them were relaxed and looking happy – hell, even Vin grinned from where he sat on the floor, leaning back against Josiah's leg as the big man settled in a chair to Nathan's right – Chris Larabee had returned to his role as team leader and was ready to force them back to the mission. Whatever the hell the mission was.

The first damper drifted over his enthusiasm, and he relaxed back into his pillows, as the others settled around him and Chris took a place at the end of the bed.

As usual, Chris jumped right into it, no preamble. "Guess we need to be thinking about what's next," he said flatly. "I know we've talked about it some – a lot, really, while we were on the planet, but now it's here. These people have been good to us, and I know we're safe here for a while, but they ain't gonna be hospitable forever so we need to start thinking about where we're gonna go next, and," he paused, taking a deep breath, "who's gonna be going with us."

Nathan swallowed, looking to JD who sat on Buck's knees; Buck sat in the chair to Nathan's left and Ezra sat just past, also in one of the room's chairs.

Chris pushed on. "We been together, the five of us from Thesea, for a long time. Personally, I want us to stay that way."

Nathan nodded, didn't have to look to know Josiah was doing the same. He did, though, glance to Ezra who sat impassive as ever, and still as ever. No commitment, not yet.

Chris looked at him too, and they stared at each for several seconds before Chris' jaw tightened and he continued on, his voice a little harder. "But I'd like – and Buck would as well, for the boys to stay with us – if they want to. We've promised 'em a home with us, and I know that Vin wants to stay – JD? You still want to stay with us?"

JD nodded before Chris even finished. "'Course I do," he said flatly.

Chris nodded. "Don't reckon I have to tell you guys that this'll probably change the nature of what we do and where we go. We can't go back the Genii, and while we've talked about other places, we've always assumed we'd go in fighting the Wraith. I . . " For the first time he faltered, unsure, and it was such a surprise that Nathan was momentarily lost himself.

Josiah was the one who spoke up next, his rich baritone soothing in the awkward silence. "There are a lot of different ways to fight our enemy," he said calmly, "and I, for one, don't mind giving something else a try. I've grown right fond of these two lost sheep myself," he grinned, running one of his big hands over the top of Vin's head, throwing the long tapers of hair into even more disarray, "and I'd like to spend some more time with them around."

Vin smiled up at him, his expression as open and happy as Nathan had ever seen it. It was a bit of a relief; the transition to this place, these new people, had been stressful for them all, but he had seen it most in Vin.

Nathan looked up, then, catching Chris' gaze. "I'm of the same mind – but then, I figure you already knew that, as Buck and I already had that talk. I'm partial to you guys – but I'm partial to these boys as well. Seems like the best of both worlds, keeping us all together. We can find other things to do – we haven't always been soldiers, have we?"

"Just seems like it," Buck muttered, but he grinned as well.

And that left only Ezra. Nathan turned to the other man, noting that not only was he not within reach of one of the boys, he had actually moved his chair into a position away from them all.

Damn him, he thought. How like Ezra to make this hard for them. To be the bastard.

"So, allow me to state the pertinent details," the intel officer said, crossing his legs. "We are now free of our forced incarceration on that planet. We are without employment, a place to live, we are no longer welcome among the Genii, we can barely feed ourselves and we have decided to take on the care and keeping of two boys who have no social skills, little education, a substantial collection of emotional problems, long records of abuse and neglect, who need patience, attention, and stability preferably from adults with experience with this sort of trauma and experience with children – which, I might add, almost none of us have. And we are choosing to undertake this of our own free will and with the knowledge that we may do far more damage than we heal – does that sum it up?"

It was hard to disagree with it. In fact, he couldn't. None of them could. It was all true.

The room was silent, no one looking at anyone else, but all of them looking at Ezra.

And Ezra looked back at each of them, his eyes clear and challenging, daring any one of them, even JD and Vin, to argue.

It was only as Vin pulled his legs up, crouching into himself from his seat on the floor, and JD made just a little noise, something like a squeak, that Ezra finally sighed, one hand rising to rub at his forehead.

"This has to be one of the most ludicrous, impractical, foolhardy plans I have ever had the honor of being privy to. Might I suggest that where ever we go, we make it somewhere with a market hall so that I might at least set up cards and dice games for money?"

It took a few seconds for the reality to hit them, and it was, as usual, Buck who understood first. He started to laugh even as he pulled JD back against his chest. Nathan himself started next, alternating with a few gasps as the pain flared at the movement. Josiah didn't laugh, but he smiled and leaned down to pull Vin close, whispering in his ear so that he would understand.

Chris snorted, rolling his eyes, but Nathan watched as their leader's fists relaxed and he took a deep breath. Chris could pretend to his own indifference, but Nathan knew better. Chris would have put up one hell of a fight if Ezra had been serious, particularly about leaving.

Ezra set his cup aside and pushed himself easily from the chair. He stepped to his right, coming in close to JD as he said, "You will, of course, promise to continue our studies in the monetary systems of this galaxy and the economics of interplanetary war, yes?"

JD looked up, hesitant until Ezra grinned at him. Then, like Buck, he laughed and reached up, hugging Ezra tightly.

Ezra was more careful with Vin, though, walking around the foot of the bed, past Chris who touched him quickly on the shoulder as he gave ground, to drop to his knees before the other boy.

"Vin?" he said quietly, his hands falling to rest on Vin's drawn-up knees. "We must continue your studies as well – are you willing to do that? Are you willing to work at this too?"

Vin looked up at him and nodded, slowly at first but then with more conviction. Nathan's stomach burned, reminding him that Ezra, for all his bitterness and cavalier ways, cared about the boys as much as any of them – perhaps, in his way, more.

"On that note," Chris spoke again, his tone a little softer now, "I think we do need to set some ground rules. In the same way that we had rules on the planet to protect everyone – no going out after lights out, always letting someone know where we are, all those rules – we're gonna have to have some here as well."

Ezra rose, giving Vin's knees one final pat, then, oddly, threw his support to Chris. "Being back in civilization, while a wonderful thing, does have its dangers as well, particularly for those of you," he waved vaguely toward Nathan and Josiah, a gesture which Nathan knew wasn't meant to be so much derogatory as to take the sting out of the comment, which was really for the boys, "who are not as well-versed in evils that men – and women – can do."

"Yeah," Chris said dryly, and Nathan didn't have to look to know that Buck was smiling behind JD's back. "You would be our resident expert in the evils that men do," he said.

Ezra shrugged elegantly as he resumed his seat. "Then it is good for you that I'm staying around, is it not?"

It was, but Chris wasn't about to admit to it, of course, so he pressed on. "I know you boys are going to resent this – you especially, JD, but Buck and I have talked about it and we really think it's the best way to handle this. The same rules that we had on the planet still apply here – no one out after light's out, and even though in most places we're going to have lights around the clock, we're going to establish that time as 9 pm or its equivalent no matter where we are."

He looked to JD, waited until the boy nodded, then to Vin who nodded immediately. Nathan couldn't help but notice the relief on the boy's face; unlike JD, who was going to resent the rules, Vin needed them – not for himself, but so that his world was secure. He would know when everyone else was supposed to be in.

"Whenever you leave us – while we're here on Atlantis or anywhere else we end up, when you leave our company, you have to let us know you're leaving and where you're going. Even if it's to go join one of the others of our team, whoever is responsible for you at the time has to be informed. I don't want another repeat of what happened the other day – even though it's not really Vin's fault, it was still scary for Buck and me."

JD frowned, but he nodded again, as did Vin.

"And we're gonna set a better example ourselves," Chris said a little more warmly. "We'll have a regular plan in place for who's in charge when, so that you don't have to wonder or worry. We're also going to start a more regular plan for education – yes, JD, for those other subjects you don't like, like history and language arts. You both need to know more – of everything, JD," he said, holding up a hand as JD opened his mouth to argue.

"No matter how well you know interplanetary travel," Josiah said, "if you can't explain your new discoveries to other people, you've failed at your new knowledge, right?"

JD exhaled loudly, but he didn't argue.

Nathan looked at Vin though, who frowned and chewed on his lower lip. Vin was smart – they had ample evidence of that. But something in his head made it hard for him to deal with symbols, whether they were letters and language or man-determined icons and associations. If he had to bet, Nathan thought it was because of the experiments that had been done of him in this formative period – drugs and currents and other horrors that Nathan still couldn't bring himself to look into, methods that would scramble an adult's circuits. What they would do to a child - he looked away, unable to bear the disappointment he saw on Vin's face. How like him, to think of himself as failing because of what those bastards had done to him.

"We'll come up with a plan for you, too, Vin," Chris continued, and gently, an acknowledgement of Nathan's thoughts. "You and Josiah have been making a lot of progress, despite what you think, right, Josiah?"

"Quite a lot," Josiah agreed, ruffling Vin's hair again. "But there's always more to know – and if Vin wants to be rebuilding these newer, better engines, he's gonna have to learn to read those schematics, right?"

Vin grinned a little, his pleasure at the praise taking some of the edge off his discomfort.

"And probably the thing you're going to find hardest of all, especially you, JD," Chris went on, "is that you have to accept that we know a lot more than you do – maybe not about the science stuff you love, but about life. When we ask you to do things, when we make these rules, it's as much for your safety and convenience as it is for ours. Some things may seem unfair and unreasonable – and if you want to talk about them calmly, we will. But no arguing. On the planet, it was easier to see when it was an issue of danger. When you get around people, danger comes in different ways and sometimes it's harder to recognize than others. One of the things you need to learn right now is that outside of these walls, we're a unified team. We don't always agree with each other," he looked pointedly at Ezra, "but we don't show that to anybody else. If you guys want to be a part of this team, and you say you do, then you have to follow the same rules. Are you willing to do that?"

Once more, he looked to JD, and it occurred to Nathan that the real power struggle was always going to be between JD and Chris. Buck and Vin would be caught between them at varying degrees, constantly compromising.

But then, that's what family was, he thought. And despite Chris' reference to them as a team, they were family now. A pretty bizarre one, but one none the less.

JD hesitated, and for an instant, Nathan thought he might not agree. He wasn't alone in this fear; Vin frowned and straightened, and Buck's hand squeezed lightly on JD's shoulder, as he murmured, "JD?"

Then the boy sighed again, dramatically, and said, "We all have the same rules?"

Chris frowned, tilting his head to one side as his eyes narrowed. "When it comes to following direct orders without question outside of our living space," he paused, looking for any holes in his thinking, and Nathan grinned, "yes."

JD shared a glance with Vin, who was staring across the bed and Nathan's legs. Whatever passed between them – the telepathy that Nathan wanted to learn more about – was quick, and then JD rolled his eyes and said, "All right. But I want – "

"JD," Buck interrupted, his voice carrying a warning. "We can talk about your wants later. Right now, let Chris finish up."

JD wasn't happy, but he didn't fight it. Instead, he once more leaned back against Buck, his heels kicking at the bottom of the chair they were sharing until Buck stilled them.

Chris did finish up then, his words abrupt and to the point – as always. "All right then. For now, we're here, at least until Nathan's ready to travel. Colonel Carter has asked for our help with a few things – the mining, of course, but a few other things that they'd like some information on. Seems like the least we can do, for the moment. Nathan, I expect you to follow Dr. Keller's orders – the sooner you're on your feet, both of them, the sooner we can get on with things. In the meantime, any ideas about where to go from here will be welcomed. Ezra – don't cause any trouble, but – do your job. JD – do not make me come find you in McKay's lab, ever again. You know how to tell time, keep up with it. Vin, stay out of the water – I don't care how cute the fish are, we are not keeping any as pets, and you are not allowed to go swimming anywhere without one of us along, is that clear?"

Both boys nodded, Vin with more energy, and Ezra merely arched an eyebrow. For his part, Nathan smiled. Bizarre, and family.

 

\--fin--


End file.
